The S&P 500's total return is almost 9% this year — pretty impressive. But there have been plenty of ways to make some big mistakes, too.
Six stocks in the S&P 500, including health care play Centene, Enphase Energy and Deckers Outdoor, are down more than 40% this year so far, says an Investor's Business Daily analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence and MarketSurge. That makes them the worst performing S&P 500 stocks. And at this rate, they're on track to erase nearly 80% of investors' money this year.
Losing that kind of money is even tougher as most other investors are cashing in.
Sizing Up The S&P 500's Losers
The rally in the indexes this year masks some of the pain below the surface. Nearly 200 of the stocks in the S&P 500, or 40%, are still down this year.
And some of the losses really sting. More than 30 of the stocks are down 20% or more, including the six down a staggering 40% or more. Consider Centene, a provider of government subsidized health care services. Shares have plunged 56% this year. It's the biggest stock mistake this year so far.
The stock's chart is a mess, too, sporting an RS Rating of just 2. And on top of the sinking stock, the company's solid earnings growth is in doubt. Analysts think profit will sag nearly 60% this year, breaking a streak of at least seven years of profit growth.
Other S&P 500 Mistakes This Year
The fall in footwear maker Deckers' stock has been another shoe to drop. Shares of the maker of UGG boots are down 48% this year. That caught many investors off guard as Deckers was a huge winner in 2024. Last year, shares jumped 82%.
Now Deckers' chart is ugly, too. The RS Rating has plunged to 9. And the stock is trading well below its cup-with-handle base buy point of 172.57. And as with Centene, analysts are braced for a rare drop-off in profit. Analysts think the company's profit will fall 4% in the current fiscal year. That ends seven-straight years of double-digit earnings growth.
Solar power firm Enphase is down 48% this year. But that only worsens the stock's 48% drop in 2024.
So while there have been many ways to profit this year, there are plenty of land mines, too.
Biggest S&P 500 Losers This Year
| Company | Ticker | Year-T0-Date % ch. | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centene | CNC | -55.7% | Health Care |
| Enphase Energy | ENPH | -48.3% | Information Technology |
| Deckers Outdoor | DECK | -48.2% | Consumer Discretionary |
| Molina Healthcare | MOH | -45.0% | Health Care |
| UnitedHealth Group | UNH | -44.8% | Health Care |
| Lululemon Athletica | LULU | -42.8% | Consumer Discretionary |
