Southwest Airlines soars to top industrial gainer, Plug Power sees No. 1 loser tag

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The week saw Delta Air Lines release a mixed earnings report, triggering an uncertain reaction among investors. But two other airlines made to this week's top 5 gainers. Meanwhile, three out of five of last week's gainers saw their fortunes reversed and landed among the losers.

For the week ending July 15, The SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (SPY) was back among losses (-0.91%) after being in the green a week ago. YTD, the ETF is -18.91%. The Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was also back in red (-1.22%) after a rare week of gain in the prior week. YTD, XLI is -17.93%.

The top five gainers in the industrial sector (stocks with a market cap of over $2B) all gained more than +5% each this week. However, YTD, only two out of these five stocks are in the green.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) +7.85%. Susquehanna made some strategic ratings changes ahead of the earnings season for the airline sector on concerns about the macro environment. While several airlines saw their price target cut and Jet Blue saw its rating downgraded to Neutral, the outlier in the group was Southwest Airlines which was upgraded by the firm to a Positive rating from Neutral with various revenue initiatives and the break into corporate travel seen supporting share price.

The SA Quant Rating on the shares is Strong Buy, which which takes into account factors such as growth and profitability, among others things. Meanwhile, the average Wall Street Analysts' Rating is Buy, wherein 11 out of 20 analysts give the stock a Strong Buy rating. YTD, the stock has shed -7.61%.

RBC Bearings (ROLL) +6.92%. The Oxford, Conn.-based company's stock made it to the gainers' list after over a month. The SA Quant Rating on the stock is Buy, with Profitability having a factor grade of C+ while Valuation with factor grade of D. The average Wall Street Analysts' Rating is also Buy, with an Average Price Target of $222.5. YTD, the stock has grown +4.76%.

The chart below shows YTD price-return performance of the top five gainers and SP500TR:

United Airlines (UAL) +6.33%. The Chicago-based company was among the airline stocks which saw their price target cut at Susquehanna. UAL price target was slashed to $43 from $60. The SA Quant Rating and the average Wall Street Analysts' Rating, both have a Buy rating on the stock. YTD, RBA is -11.42%.

Boeing (BA) +6.23%. Earlier in the week, the company said it delivered 51 airplanes in June to bring its H1 total to 216 jets, up 38% from the first six months of last year and topping 50 for the first time since March 2019. But the main focus would be next week's Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., the first major air show after lockdown where Boeing faces great pressure to secure orders.

The SA Quant Rating on the stock is Hold, wherein the company's Valuation has a factor grade of D+ and Growth carries a C grade. The average Wall Street Analysts' Rating, however, differs and gives the stock a Buy rating, wherein 13 out of 21 analysts give it a Strong Buy rating. YTD, BA has fallen -26.61%.

Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) +5.79%. The Greece-based shipping company leapfrogged from the decliners' list it found itself in last week to take the number 5 spot among the gainers this week. Star Bulk — which was among 2021 top five industrial stocks (in this segment) — has gained +4.81% YTD, the only other stock other than RBC Bearings to be in the green among this week's gainers. The SA Quant Rating and the average Wall Street Analysts' Rating on SBLK is Strong Buy.

This week's top five decliners among industrial stocks (market cap of over $2B) all lost more than -9% each. YTD, all these five are in the red.

Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG) -21.80%. Solar and alternate energy stocks plunged on July 15, including Plug (-12.90%), after Sen. Joe Manchin pulled out of talks with Democratic leaders on a sweeping economic package that included new spending on climate measures. President Biden, however, has pledged 'executive action' on climate. The stock decline also made Latham, New York-based Plug see the number 1 loser tag after being the top gainer a week ago.

The SA Quant Rating on the stock is Sell, with Profitability having a factor grade of F and Momentum having a D+ factor grade. The rating is in contrast to the average Wall Street Analysts' Rating of Buy, wherein 14 out of 28 analysts give the stock a Strong Buy rating. YTD, Plug has declined -45.24%.

Bloom Energy (BE) -15.08%. The San Jose, Calif.-based Bloom, which provides power generation platform, also lost amid the climate spending talks fallout. The company was also among the gainers last week following the U.S. government's plans to lift tariffs on Canadian solar products. The SA Quant Rating on the stock is Hold, with Profitability having a factor grade of D while Valuation having a factor grade of D-. But the average Wall Street Analysts' Rating differs and gives the stock a Buy rating, wherein 8 out of 20 analysts give it a Strong Buy rating.

The chart below shows YTD price-return performance of the worst five decliners and XLI:

Upwork (UPWK) -14.97%. The stock was also like Plug and Bloom which saw its fortunes reversed as it landed among the decliners too after being among the gainers a week ago. At the start of the week, BTIG lowered its price target on UPWK to $30 from $34. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company, which provides an online work marketplace, was among the top five gainers (in this segment) for June, but YTD, the stock has shed -39.64%. The SA Quant Rating on the stock is Sell, with Profitability having a factor grade of D+ while Valuation having a factor grade of F. The rating is in contrast to the average Wall Street Analysts' Rating of Buy, wherein 4 out of 11 analysts give it a Strong Buy rating.

Chart Industries (GTLS) -12.41%. The Ball Ground, Ga.-based company, which makes equipment for the energy and industrial gas industries, fell the most on July 14 (-9.66%) this week. YTD, the stock has declined -6.88% but the average Wall Street Analysts' Rating is Strong Buy with an Average Price Target of $206.11. Meanwhile, the SA Quant Rating on the stock is Buy.

Kanzhun (BZ) -9.61%. The Chinese online recruitment platform gained well in June (+30%) and was among the top five (in this segment). The stock was the top industrial gainer for two weeks straight in June but has also seen its fare share of volatility in the past few months. BZ was among the worst five decliners in the first week of May, having made to the top in the last week of April. Similar trends were seen in March. The average Wall Street Analysts' Rating is Buy, which differs with the SA Quant Rating of Hold. YTD, Kanzhun has lost -31.74%.