Thursday Sector Laggards: Utilities, Healthcare

The worst performing sector as of midday Thursday is the Utilities sector, showing a 0.7% loss. Within that group, NRG Energy Inc (Symbol: NRG) and Vistra Corp (Symbol: VST) are two of the day's laggards, showing a loss of 3.2% and 2.6%, respectively. Among utilities ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLU), which is down 0.5% on the day, and up 31.74% year-to-date. NRG Energy Inc, meanwhile, is up 73.30% year-to-date, and Vistra Corp is up 244.82% year-to-date. Combined, NRG and VST make up approximately 5.2% of the underlying holdings of XLU.

The next worst performing sector is the Healthcare sector, showing a 0.5% loss. Among large Healthcare stocks, Molina Healthcare Inc (Symbol: MOH) and Centene Corp (Symbol: CNC) are the most notable, showing a loss of 12.1% and 9.2%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Healthcare stocks is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV), which is down 0.3% in midday trading, and up 13.29% on a year-to-date basis. Molina Healthcare Inc, meanwhile, is down 19.43% year-to-date, and Centene Corp, is down 15.23% year-to-date. Combined, MOH and CNC make up approximately 0.9% of the underlying holdings of XLV.

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, three sectors are up on the day, while six sectors are down. Sector% ChangeTechnology & Communications+0.6%Energy+0.3%Financial+0.1%Consumer Products-0.1%Industrial-0.1%Materials-0.1%Services-0.2%Healthcare-0.5%Utilities-0.7%

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Also see:

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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.