S&P 500 Top Stock Gainers Today, 8/14/26

The S&P 500 (SPX) closed lower on Friday following a decline in consumer sentiment and weaker-than-expected retail sales.

Let’s break down the sectors behind the performance.

Today’s Top-Performing Sector 

Energy was the top-performing sector as tensions remained elevated in the Strait of Hormuz. On Thursday evening, the UAE accused Iran of striking two of its tankers in “unprovoked attacks.” Meanwhile, traffic through the global oil chokepoint remains 90% below pre-war levels, raising Brent crude (BZ) prices in the process. That benefits oil and gas companies, as higher prices can boost revenue and profit margins.

Several energy stocks led the sector’s gains, including:

• Halliburton (HAL)
• Texas Pacific Land Trust (TPL)
• Targa Resources (TRGP)
• SLB (SLB)
• Devon Energy (DVN)

Today’s Worst-Performing Sector 

Meanwhile, the healthcare sector faced the largest drawdown as investors rotated toward energy stocks amid rising oil prices and renewed Middle East tensions. The sector was also weighed down by weakness in several major stocks, including Veeva (VEEV) and Eli Lilly (LLY). Meanwhile, investors appeared more willing to take on risk as memory stocks attracted capital. Healthcare is generally viewed as a defensive sector.

Notable healthcare stocks trading lower include:

• Veeva (VEEV)
• Zoetis (ZTS)
• Idexx Laboratories (IDXX)
• Eli Lilly (LLY)
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX)