Along with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 is perhaps the most widely followed stock benchmark in the world. Almost every mention of the benchmark, however, is in the context of its aggregate performance. Below are seven charts that illustrate unique characteristics and trends among the individual components of the S&P 500.
Negative Revenue Growth
The following chart shows the S&P 500 by market cap, with companies that experienced negative year-over-year revenue growth in their most recent quarter highlighted in yellow (data is as of October 2015):
The frequency of yellow in this chart should be somewhat alarming; many companies are struggling mightily to grow their top line.
Positive 2008 Performance
The following chart shows the S&P 500 by market capitalization, with companies that delivered positive returns in 2008 highlighted in yellow (those that were not publicly traded in 2008 are whited out).
This exclusive club includes some predictable names such as Wal-Mart and McDonald’s, but a few surprises as well: Wells Fargo (WFC), Gilead Sciences (GILD), and Amgen (AMGN) were all up in 2008.
Dividend Aristocrats
The following chart shows the S&P 500 by market capitalization, with the 52 Dividend Aristocrats highlighted in yellow:
The stocks that have increased their dividend payouts for at least 25 consecutive years are relatively evenly distributed by size; the group includes some of the largest companies as well as several smaller companies.
Energy Sector
The following chart shows the S&P 500 by market cap, with energy stocks highlighted in yellow.
Poor oil and gas stocks; what was once one of the largest sectors of the stock market has shrunk dramatically over the last year. ExxonMobil, which was once the largest individual component, now ranks behind Apple, Google, and Microsoft.
IPO in Last 10 Years
The following chart shows the S&P 500 by market cap with companies that have gone public in the last ten years highlighted in yellow:
While there has been some concern over the frequency of unprofitable IPOs, freshly public companies represent a relatively small percentage of the S&P 500.
Forward P/E < 15
The following chart shows the S&P 500 by market cap, with stocks that have a forward price-to-earnings ratio of less than 15 highlighted in yellow:
While there are certainly plenty of lofty multiples in the S&P, there are also plenty of companies that feature very reasonable valuations.
Female CEOs
The following chart shows the S&P 500 by market cap, with companies led by a female CEO (or co-CEO as in the case of Oracle) highlighted in yellow:
The image above features considerably more yellow than it would have a couple decades earlier, but female leaders are still very much in the minority in this group.
This article, 7 Surprising S&P 500 Charts, first appeared on Dividend Reference.