8 S&P 500 Stocks With The Highest Betas

Benzinga · 12/02/2019 17:30

Some of the biggest trading opportunities in the market come from the most volatile stocks in the market. These stocks can also be dangerous to trade, creating a high-risk/high-reward scenario.

Volatility can be difficult to predict, but beta is one metric traders use to identify stocks that are most prone to volatility.

Beta Explained

Beta is simply a measure of the relative volatility of a stock. Beta is calculated in relation to a benchmark, such as the S&P 500 for U.S. stocks. A beta of 1.0 means that a stock has historically demonstrated volatility in line with its benchmark. A beta greater than 1.0 suggests the stock is more volatile than the benchmark, and a beta less than 1.0 suggests the stock is less volatile than the benchmark.

For example, a U.S. stock with a beta of 1.5 has historically been 50% more volatile than the S&P 500. Typically, the stocks with the highest betas tend to be smaller-cap stocks, while large-cap stocks have lower betas.

8 High-Beta Stocks

Here’s a look at the eight S&P 500 stocks with the highest betas, according to Finviz.

  1. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD), 3.09 beta.
  2. United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE: URI), 2.71 beta.
  3. Freeport-McMoRan Inc (NYSE: FCX), 2.51 beta.
  4. Devon Energy Corp (NYSE: DVN), 2.38 beta.
  5. Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO), 2.31 beta.
  6. SVB Financial Group (NASDAQ: SIVB), 2.19 beta.
  7. IPG Photonics Corporation (NASDAQ: IPGP), 2.17 beta.
  8. Navient Corp (NASDAQ: NAVI), 2.14 beta.

Benzinga’s Take

Several of these high-beta stocks have performed extremely well in 2019, including a 112% gain from AMD. However, these large positive returns from high-beta stocks occur much more often during periods of strong overall market returns, and traders can expect many of these same high-beta stocks to be among the worst performers during the next market downturn.

Do you agree with this take? Email feedback@benzinga.com with your thoughts.

Related Links:

16 S&P 500 Stocks With The Worst Analyst Ratings

15 Highest-Rated Analyst Stock Picks In The S&P 500