5 Worst Sectors to Avoid This Week

by Portfolio Grader | September 25, 2012 5:55 pm

According to the Portfolio Grader[1] database this week, the Semiconductor, Metals and Mining, Communications Equipment, Marine, and Auto Parts sectors are at the bottom.

The Semiconductor sector is trailing behind others this week, with 75% of its stocks (61 out of 81) rated a “sell.” Among Semiconductor stocks, International Rectifier (NYSE:IRF[2]), Intersil (NASDAQ:ISIL[3]), and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD[4]) are lingering near the bottom with grades of F. Advanced Micro Devices is the worst performer in this sector, with a 43.9% decline in the last 12 months. This is worse than the S&P 500’s 28.2% increase for the same period.

With 74% of its stocks (67 out of 90) rated “sell,” the Metals and Mining sector is struggling this week. Out of the Metals and Mining stocks, Thompson Creek Metals (NYSE:TC[5]), Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX[6]), and Walter Energy Inc. (NYSE:WLT[7]) are near the bottom with F’s. Thompson Creek Metals is the worst stock in its sector, with the company’s share price falling 49.8% in the last 12 months.

The Communications Equipment sector looks weak, with 63% of its stocks (22 out of 35) rated a “sell.” Acme Packet (NASDAQ:APKT[8]), Nokia (NYSE:NOK[9]), and Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU[10]) are dragging down the sector overall, each earning a low grade of F. Acme Packet is performing worst overall in the sector, with a 60.6% decline over the last 12 months.

Marine is lagging this week with 63% of its stocks (5 out of 8) rated a “sell.” Among Marine stocks, Matson Inc. (NYSE:MATX[11]) and DryShips (NASDAQ:DRYS[12]) are struggling with grades of D. Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX[13]) also has a low grade of F. Overall, DryShips is the poorest performer in this sector. Its share price has dropped 15.1% in the last 12 months.

The Auto Parts sector is dragging, with 59% of its stocks (10 out of 17) rated a “sell.” Among Auto Parts stocks, Federal-Mogul (NASDAQ:FDML[14]) and Gentex (NASDAQ:GNTX[15]) are struggling with grades of F. Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI[16]) also has a low grade of D. Federal-Mogul is the worst performer in the sector with a 32.4% decline over the last year.

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/2012/09/5-worst-sectors-to-avoid-this-week-fdml-gntx-jci/

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