14 Worst-Performing S&P 500 Stocks Since the Start of 2026 (And What They Have in Common)

14 Worst-Performing S&P 500 Stocks Since the Start of 2026 (YTD)

Early 2026 has been a reality check for parts of the U.S. market—especially enterprise software, cloud, and digital services. While the S&P 500 includes winners across multiple sectors, a noticeable cluster of laggards is concentrated in “high-quality growth” names that are sensitive to valuation, IT budget cycles, and shifting investor risk appetite.

Below is a curated list of 14 S&P 500 names sitting near the bottom of the performance table since the start of 2026, along with the big-picture takeaways investors can learn from the group.

The 14 Lagging Stocks (Grouped by Theme)

1) Enterprise Software / Cloud / Digital Enterprise Services (Majority of the list)

These companies are typically priced for strong recurring revenue and long-term growth. But when markets rotate toward near-term certainty, software multiples can compress quickly.

  • Datadog (DDOG) — observability + cloud monitoring

  • Autodesk (ADSK) — CAD/3D design software

  • Workday (WDAY) — HR + finance SaaS (ERP)

  • Salesforce (CRM) — CRM + sales/service cloud

  • Adobe (ADBE) — creative + document + marketing tools

  • ServiceNow (NOW) — workflow + ITSM automation

  • Intuit (INTU) — tax + accounting software for SMBs

  • Gartner (IT) — tech research/consulting for enterprises

  • GoDaddy (GDDY) — domains + hosting + website tools

  • AppLovin (APP) — mobile advertising + marketing platform

Why this bucket struggles:
Even strong businesses can underperform if growth expectations cool, deal cycles slow, or investors demand cheaper valuations. In software, sentiment can turn fast when “perfect execution” is already priced in.

The “Different Sector” Outliers

2) Energy

  • Constellation Energy (CEG) — large U.S. power producer with nuclear exposure

Energy names can be volatile for reasons that differ from tech—regulation, power pricing, and policy headlines can move the stock quickly.

3) Insurance

  • American International Group (AIG) — major global insurer

Insurance often trades on underwriting results, catastrophe risk, and bond yield expectations—very different drivers from software.

4) Media & Entertainment

  • Paramount Skydance Corp (PSKY) — media/studio entertainment

Media companies can face unique pressures from streaming economics, advertising cycles, and content spending discipline.

5) Hardware / Enterprise Infrastructure

  • Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) — servers, storage, networking + hybrid cloud

Infrastructure can lag when enterprise hardware spending softens or competition tightens.

What Investors Can Learn From This Group

“Same market, different pain points”

Even though many names are tech-related, the reasons for weakness vary: valuation reset, slower enterprise demand, ad-tech scrutiny, or sector-specific risks.

The key trend: enterprise spending and sentiment

When corporate decision-makers become cautious, it tends to hit software budgets, renewals, and expansion—and the market reacts before earnings do

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