Thursday Sector Leaders: Utilities, Services

In afternoon trading on Thursday, Utilities stocks are the best performing sector, up 1.6%. Within the sector, Vistra Corp (Symbol: VST) and Ameren Corp (Symbol: AEE) are two large stocks leading the way, showing a gain of 4.8% and 3.0%, respectively. Among utilities ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLU), which is up 1.6% on the day, and up 22.65% year-to-date. Vistra Corp, meanwhile, is up 263.12% year-to-date, and Ameren Corp is up 27.52% year-to-date. Combined, VST and AEE make up approximately 6.2% of the underlying holdings of XLU.

The next best performing sector is the Services sector, higher by 0.5%. Among large Services stocks, Darden Restaurants, Inc. (Symbol: DRI) and Carmax Inc. (Symbol: KMX) are the most notable, showing a gain of 15.3% and 3.3%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Services stocks is the iShares U.S. Consumer Services ETF (IYC), which is up 0.5% in midday trading, and up 29.91% on a year-to-date basis. Darden Restaurants, Inc., meanwhile, is up 15.53% year-to-date, and Carmax Inc. is up 9.59% year-to-date. Combined, DRI and KMX make up approximately 0.6% of the underlying holdings of IYC.

Comparing these stocks and ETFs on a trailing twelve month basis, below is a relative stock price performance chart, with each of the symbols shown in a different color as labeled in the legend at the bottom:

Here's a snapshot of how the S&P 500 components within the various sectors are faring in afternoon trading on Thursday. As you can see, five sectors are up on the day, while three sectors are down.

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.