Beware of these S&P 500 stocks expected to struggle

Published Sun, Mar 19 20238:15 AM EDT

Investors may want to consider dumping some stocks expected to underperform going forward, especially as market volatility remains elevated. The S & P 500 fell more than 1% on Friday as concern over the state of the global banking system dampened investor sentiment. The broader market index is also down more than 1% for the month, on pace for its third monthly decline in four months. And, while market declines do provide buying opportunities, they can also be used to get rid of names that are expected to struggle in the near future. CNBC Pro used FactSet to screen the S & P 500 for stocks that met the following criteria: Average analyst rating of hold or less (FactSet divides ratings into five categories: buy, overweight, hold, underweight and sell) Rated sell by at least 20% of analysts covering them Average analyst price target implies a decline over the next 12 months Here are the seven stocks that made our list. Bleach maker Clorox made the list with an average analyst rating of underweight. The stock is also rated sell by nearly 32% of analysts covering it. Clorox shares are expected to fall 9% over the next year. Clorox last month reported a stronger-than-expected adjusted profit for its fiscal fourth quarter. However, the company also forecast a 2% revenue drop for fiscal 2023. "There is a still a lot of wood to chop here with the company undergoing a digital transformation while trying to stabilize demand. Feels choppy at best in the near term," traders at Barclays said in a note. C.H. Robinson also made the list. The transportation stock has an average rating of hold, and 25% of analysts covering it rate it as sell. The average analyst price target on C.H. Robinson shares implies downside of 2.4% over the next 12 months. JPMorgan downgraded the stock in February to underweight from neutral, citing rail congestion fees, truckload rate cycles and coal volumes as headwinds for the company. "C.H. Robinson's primary North American Surface Transportation segment remains significantly exposed to the spread between contract and spot truckload rates as well as the timing of contract negotiations and overall freight market demand," analyst Brian Ossenbeck wrote . Another name that made the list is Campbell Soup , which has an average rating of hold and a price target that points to a slight decline over the next 12 months. The company posted better-than-expected quarterly results earlier this month. However, Stifel analyst Christopher Growe maintained a hold rating on the stock, citing "the relatively slow growth outlook for the business following the benefit from COVID-19." Other stocks that made our list are Pinnacle West Capital , Expeditors International of Washington , Consolidated Edison and T. Rowe Price . — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.