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Tuesday Sector Leaders: Utilities, Healthcare

This article is more than 9 years old.

The best performing sector as of midday Tuesday is the Utilities sector, not showing much of a loss. Within the sector, AES Corp. (NYSE: AES) and NRG Energy Inc (NYSE: NRG) are two large stocks leading the way, showing a gain of 1.2% and 1.1%, respectively. Among utilities ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLU), which is down 0.1% on the day, and down 6.41% year-to-date. AES Corp., meanwhile, is down 11.04% year-to-date, and NRG Energy Inc, is down 10.24% year-to-date. Combined, AES and NRG make up approximately 3.0% of the underlying holdings of XLU.

The next best performing sector is the Healthcare sector, losing just 0.2%. Among large Healthcare stocks, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASD: REGN) and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASD: ALXN) are the most notable, showing a gain of 3.3% and 1.7%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Healthcare stocks is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV), which is down 0.4% in midday trading, and up 6.90% on a year-to-date basis. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., meanwhile, is up 13.73% year-to-date, and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., is down 1.90% year-to-date. Combined, REGN and ALXN make up approximately 2.5% of the underlying holdings of XLV.

Click here to find out 25 Dividend Giants Widely Held By ETFs »

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 Tuesday. As you can see, none of the sectors are up on the day, while eight sectors are down.

Sector % Change
Utilities -0.0%
Healthcare -0.2%
Financial -0.3%
Technology & Communications -0.3%
Industrial -0.3%
Services -0.4%
Energy -0.4%
Consumer Products -0.6%
Materials -0.6%