5 Worst Sectors to Avoid This Week

by Portfolio Grader | March 5, 2013 2:00 pm

According to the Portfolio Grader[1] database this week, the Metals and Mining, Computer and Personal Electronics, Energy Services, Oil and Gas, and Technology Equipment sectors are at the bottom.

The Metals and Mining sector is trailing behind others this week, with 78% of its stocks (72 out of 92) rated a “sell”. Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE:CLF[2]), Walter Energy Inc. (NYSE:WLT[3]), and Thompson Creek Metals (NYSE:TC[4]) are all currently earning F’s. Cliffs Natural Resources is the worst stock in its sector, with the company’s share price falling 57.7% in the last 12 months. This is worse than the S&P 500, which has seen a 11.8% increase over the same period.

With 62% of its stocks (13 out of 21) rated “sell,” the Computer and Personal Electronics sector is struggling this week. Among Computer and Personal Electronics stocks, Diebold (NYSE:DBD[5]), QLogic (NASDAQ:QLGC[6]), and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ[7]) are lingering near the bottom with grades of F. Hewlett-Packard is the worst stock in its sector, with the company’s share price falling 19.8% in the last 12 months.

The Energy Services sector looks weak, with 61% of its stocks (33 out of 54) rated a “sell”. Gulfmark Offshore (NYSE:GLF[8]), Key Energy Services (NYSE:KEG[9]), and Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR[10]) are pushing the sector down with F grades. The worst performer in this sector is Key Energy Services, which saw its price sink 37.5% in the last 12 months.

The Oil and Gas sector is lagging this week with 61% of its stocks (121 out of 199) rated a “sell”. Enerplus (NYSE:ERF[11]), Swift Energy (NYSE:SFY[12]), and Newfield Exploration (NYSE:NFX[13]) are dragging down the sector overall, each earning a low grade of F. Enerplus is the worst performer in this sector, with a 42.2% decline in the last 12 months.

The Technology Equipment sector is dragging, with 57% of its stocks (30 out of 53) rated a “sell”. With an overall grade of F, TTM Technologies (NASDAQ:TTMI[14]), FARO Technologies (NASDAQ:FARO[15]), and ScanSource (NASDAQ:SCSC[16]) are weighing down the sector.

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/2013/03/5-worst-sectors-to-avoid-this-week-dbd-qlgc-hpq-glf-keg-nbr-erf-sfy-nfx-clf-wlt-tc-ttmi-faro-scsc-2/

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