10 Worst-Performing Stocks of 2025

Despite the S&P 500’s strong YTD gain of 16.81% through Dec. 5, 2025, the index masks deep dispersion: the 10 worst-performing S&P names include Fiserv (-~70%), The Trade Desk (-~67%), Deckers Outdoor (-~57%), Gartner (-~52%), Lululemon (-~52%), Molina Healthcare (-~50%), Alexandria REIT (-~45%), Chipotle (-~43%), FactSet (-~42%) and Charter Communications (-~42%). Drivers vary by name — from Fiserv’s revenue-forecast cut and slowing merchant services and The Trade Desk’s competitive pressure from Amazon, to consumer-discretionary weakness at Deckers and Lululemon, cyclical cuts in advisory spending at Gartner, higher costs and ACA/Medicaid uncertainty at Molina, dividend and guidance shocks plus rate/credit stress at Alexandria, rising labor/food costs at Chipotle, AI/leadership concerns and a Q3 miss at FactSet, and subscriber losses at Charter. The divergence underscores pronounced stock-picking risk amid a broad market rally and points to sector- and company-specific valuation and execution vulnerabilities that could create opportunities for discerning long–short or event-driven strategies, while cautioning against concentrated exposure to 2024–25 high-flyers.

Analysis

The S&P 500 has posted a YTD gain of 16.81% as of Dec. 5, 2025, but that headline masks pronounced dispersion: the 10 worst-performing S&P names are Fiserv (~-70%), The Trade Desk (~-67%), Deckers Outdoor (~-57%), Gartner (~-52%), Lululemon (~-52%), Molina Healthcare (~-50%), Alexandria Real Estate Equities (~-45%), Chipotle (~-43%), FactSet (~-42%) and Charter Communications (~-42%). These declines contrast sharply with the index-level rally and highlight idiosyncratic downside concentrated in fintech, ad-tech, consumer discretionary, healthcare and REITs.

Drivers are company-specific: Fiserv fell after a large full-year revenue forecast cut and merchant-services slowdown including Clover; The Trade Desk is pressured by competition from Amazon and valuation concerns; Deckers and Lululemon show slowing same-store sales and discretionary demand weakening (Lululemon down from >$423 in Jan. 2025 to ~ $190), while Chipotle faces rising labor and food costs. Gartner’s weakness looks cyclical as clients cut advisory spend; Molina is hit by higher costs and ACA/Medicaid uncertainty; Alexandria suffered guidance cuts and a dividend reduction amid higher rates and tight credit.

The story matters because it creates pronounced stock-picking risk despite a strong index; the article’s moderately negative tone and modest market-impact score (0.28) suggest sector- and company-level catalysts will drive near-term returns. Investors should therefore prioritize company-specific catalysts and monitor rate, consumer-spending, healthcare-policy and credit conditions before redeploying capital into beaten-down names or initiating event-driven/long–short trades.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Reduce concentrated exposure to 2024–25 momentum winners vulnerable to demand and cost shocks (examples: LULU, DECK, CMG) and rebalance toward names with clearer, sustainable earnings or cash-flow visibility
• Consider hedging or selective short exposure to companies with demonstrable guidance cuts or structural competitive threats (notably FISV after its revenue forecast cut and TTD facing Amazon competition) until revenue and margin trends stabilize
• Only initiate new long positions in deeply down stocks if there is a clear, near-term catalyst (e.g., FactSet leadership clarity and earnings recovery, or Alexandria evidence of stabilized leasing/credit conditions) and size positions modestly
• Use option protection or pair trades to preserve upside from index strength while limiting idiosyncratic downside given the large dispersion across sectors
• Monitor high‑frequency indicators highlighted in the article—same‑store sales, merchant processing volumes, broadband subscriber trends, ACA/Medicaid policy updates, and Fed rate/credit signals—to time re-entry or scale adjustments