The best performing sector as of midday Thursday is the Healthcare sector, up 0.7%. Within the sector, Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: VAR) and Danaher Corp (NYSE: DHR) are two large stocks leading the way, showing a gain of 7.0% and 4.5%, respectively. Among healthcare ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLV), which is up 0.7% on the day, and down 1.12% year-to-date. Varian Medical Systems, Inc., meanwhile, is up 28.40% year-to-date, and Danaher Corp is up 15.01% year-to-date. Combined, VAR and DHR make up approximately 2.1% of the underlying holdings of XLV.
The next best performing sector is the Utilities sector, not showing much of a loss. Among large Utilities stocks, PPL Corp (NYSE: PPL) and Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) are the most notable, showing a gain of 0.8% and 0.7%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Utilities stocks is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU), which is up 0.1% in midday trading, and up 14.54% on a year-to-date basis. PPL Corp, meanwhile, is up 1.82% year-to-date, and Sempra Energy is up 14.56% year-to-date. Combined, PPL and SRE make up approximately 7.9% of the underlying holdings of XLU.
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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, one sector is up on the day, while five sectors are down.
| Sector | % Change |
|---|---|
| Healthcare | +0.7% |
| Utilities | 0.0% |
| Materials | 0.0% |
| Energy | 0.0% |
| Financial | -0.1% |
| Industrial | -0.2% |
| Consumer Products | -0.3% |
| Services | -0.4% |
| Technology & Communications | -0.4% |
