Weekly top industrial gainers and losers: Stanley Black & Decker emerges winner as Northrop Grumman lags

Wall Street breathed a sigh of relief this week after the U.S. and China agreed to temporarily lower tariffs on each other’s exports, with the U.S. lowering tariffs on China from 145% to 30% while China cut its rate from 125% to 10%.

The Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF (NYSEARCA:XLI), an indicator of the overall sector, was up 2.48% last week compared to a 2% rise in the broader S&P500 index. The sector ended the week on a mostly positive note, with just five companies closing in the red.

Weekly top 5 gainers

• Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK) ended the week as the highest gainer in the industrial sector with its shares +14.03% after Barclays upgraded the firm to Overweight from Equal Weight, showing increasing confidence in the industrial toolmaker’s recovery plan.
• C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ:CHRW) was the second-best performer with its shares ending +12.71% despite Seeking Alpha analyst Jay Capita reiterating their Hold call on the firm on the back of an average valuation and uncertain demand recovery.
• Norfolk Southern’s (NYSE:NSC) shares ended +10.11% in the week.
• Hubbell (NYSE:HUBB) saw its shares close +9.95% in the week ended May 16.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) was +9.24%.

Weekly top 5 losers

• Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) ended -1.96%, making it the sector’s biggest loser despite a series of positive developments. Notably, the company secured a $188.58 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy.
• Waste Management (NYSE:WM) was -1.24% for the week. The company appointed COO John Morris, Jr. to the position of president. Seeking Alpha analyst has rated the stock as Hold driven by its premium valuation despite strong fundamentals. Another investor, Investor Overview also rated it Hold.
• Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) was -1.1% after signaling an earlier F-35 contract, combining Lots 18 and 19. The move could reportedly lead to a delay in the cash benefits associated with Lot 18 in Q2. Moreover, the U.S. announced $1.45B arms sales to UAE which may include LMT’s F-16 warplanes worth $130M.
• Huntington Ingalls (NYSE:HII) ended the week -0.68%.
• Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) was -0.32%.

ETFs to tab the industrial sector include: (XLI), (NYSEARCA:VIS), (NYSEARCA:XAR), (NYSEARCA:EXI), (NASDAQ:PSCI), (NASDAQ:PRN), (NYSEARCA:FIDU).