From worst to first? These battered S&P 500 stocks bounce back

The S&P 500 stocks that suffered the steepest losses in the first half of the year have staged a broad rebound in the second half, with several software companies among the biggest gainers, according to data shared by Bespoke Investment Group.

An equally weighted basket of the 25 worst-performing stocks fell an average 42.4% in the first half before gaining 34.6% in the second half to date.

Bespoke said the group was a mix of consumer stocks and software names that were expected to be made obsolete by artificial intelligence. The list also includes healthcare, financial, industrial, real estate, and communication services stocks.

Among the stocks, Accenture has risen 107.9% in the second half to date after dropping 53.6% in the first six months. Cognizant Technology Solutions has gained 90.3% following a 53.3% decline, while Gartner is up 80.9% after losing 48.6%. Workday has climbed 71.5% after falling 43% in the first half, and Palantir Technologies has gained 68.2% after declining 34.4%.

Other software stocks have also staged strong recoveries. PTC has advanced 70.8% in the second half to date after dropping 34.8% in the first, while ServiceNow has gained 58.1% following a 35.2% decline. Salesforce has risen 59.8% after falling 40.9%.

The rebound has not extended to every stock on the list. Insulet has declined a further 2.7% in the second half to date after losing 46.4% in the first six months, while Lululemon Athletica is down 8.9% following a 45.1% first-half fall. Nike has dropped 6.7% after declining 35.6%, and Charter Communications has fallen 21.4% after losing 31.9% in the first half.

Despite the rebound, the equally weighted basket remains down about 22% for the year, based on the average first-half decline of 42.4% and second-half gain of 34.6%.

The 25 worst-performing S&P 500 stocks in the first half:

• Intuit (INTU)—First half: -60.6%; second half: +36.0%

• CoStar Group (CSGP)—First half: -57.9%; second half: +25.2%

• Boston Scientific (BSX)—First half: -55.2%; second half: +7.8%

• Accenture (ACN)—First half: -53.6%; second half: +107.9%

• Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH)—First half: -53.3%; second half: +90.3%

• Gartner (IT)—First half: -48.6%; second half: +80.9%

• Insulet (PODD)—First half: -46.4%; second half: -2.7%

• Lululemon Athletica (LULU)—First half: -45.1%; second half: -8.9%

• Workday (WDAY)—First half: -43.0%; second half: +71.5%

• Leidos (LDOS)—First half: -42.9%; second half: +30.8%

• Zoetis (ZTS)—First half: -42.9%; second half: +14.1%

• Fidelity National Information Services (FIS)—First half: -41.5%; second half: -1.5%

• Adobe (ADBE)—First half: -41.4%; second half: +32.0%

• Salesforce (CRM)—First half: -40.9%; second half: +59.8%

• Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR)—First half: -38.6%; second half: +35.9%

• Tractor Supply (TSCO)—First half: -36.8%; second half: +9.9%

• Tyler Technologies (TYL)—First half: -35.6%; second half: +34.2%

• Nike (NKE)—First half: -35.6%; second half: -6.7%

• Coinbase (COIN) — First half: -35.4%; second half: +15.7%

• ServiceNow (NOW)—First half: -35.2%; second half: +58.1%

• PTC (PTC)—First half: -34.8%; second half: +70.8%

• Trimble (TRMB) — First half: -34.7%; second half: +25.1%

• Palantir Technologies (PLTR)—First half: -34.4%; second half: +68.2%

• Autodesk (ADSK) — First half: -34.3%; second half: +31.1%

• Charter Communications (CHTR)—First half: -31.9%; second half: -21.4%