5 Worst Sectors to Avoid This Week

by Portfolio Grader | August 21, 2012 12:00 pm

For the week, the worst sectors according to Portfolio Grader[1] are the Metals and Mining, Energy Services, Service, Marine, and Independent Utilities sectors.

Metals and Mining is lagging this week with 87% of its stocks (75 out of 86) rated a “sell.” With an overall grade of F, HudBay Minerals (NYSE:HBM[2]), Aluminum Corp. of China (NYSE:ACH[3]), and Alcoa (NYSE:AA[4]) are weighing down the sector. The worst performer in this sector is Aluminum Corp. of China, which saw its price sink 33.2% in the last 12 months. This is worse than the S&P 500, which has seen a 26.2% increase over the same period.

The Energy Services sector is trailing behind others this week, with 59% of its stocks (29 out of 49) rated a “sell.” Out of the Energy Services stocks, Tetra Technologies (NYSE:TTI[5]), Key Energy Services (NYSE:KEG[6]), and Pioneer Energy Services Corp (NYSE:PES[7]) are near the bottom with F’s. Key Energy Services is performing worst overall in the sector, with a 30.4% decline over the last 12 months.

The Service sector is dragging, with 59% of its stocks (13 out of 22) rated a “sell.” Among Service stocks, Education Management Corp. (NASDAQ:EDMC[8]), DeVry (NYSE:DV[9]), and ITT Educational Services (NYSE:ESI[10]) are lingering near the bottom with grades of F. The worst performer in this sector is Education Management Corp., which saw its price sink 76.8% in the last 12 months.

With 56% of its stocks (5 out of 9) rated “sell,” the Marine sector is struggling this week. DryShips (NASDAQ:DRYS[11]), Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX[12]), and Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE:NMM[13]) are pushing the sector down with D grades. Over the last 12 months, DryShips is the worst performer in this sector, with a 13.5% decline.

The Independent Utilities sector looks weak, with 56% of its stocks (5 out of 9) rated a “sell.” Among Independent Utilities stocks, NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG[14]) and Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (NYSE:EOC[15]) are struggling with grades of D. TransAlta (NYSE:TAC[16]) also has a low grade of F. TransAlta is the worst performer in this sector, with a 25.8% decline in the last 12 months.

Louis Navellier’s proprietary Portfolio Grader[1] stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being “strong buy,” and F being “strong sell.” Explore the tool here[17].

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2012/08/5-worst-sectors-to-avoid-this-week-tti-keg-pes/

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