5 Worst-Performing Dow Stocks So Far

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Although the Dow Jones Industrial Average has crossed the 13,000 mark twice in February and risen more than 6% year to date, not all of the stocks in the index have seen gains.

Chase Investment Council quantitative analyst Brian Lazorishak said high-dividend stocks have been lagging this year. Adrian Day Asset Management President Adrian Day noted that each of the worst-performing stocks in the Dow have much higher yields than the top-performers.

Analysts believe that investors' risk appetites have increased this year as more signs of economic improvement have been coming.

Here are the worst performers in the Dow so far this year: Verizon (VZ), Pfizer (PFE), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Wal-Mart (WMT) and Coca-Cola (KO).

Verizon

Shares of Verizon has fallen 4.96% year to date. This stock has "become a yield play," Lazorishak said, adding that the stocks with high dividends have been lagging this year.

The communications company announced earlier this month a streaming content joint venture with Coinstar's (CSTR) Redbox.

"While the exact business model is still unclear, we believe Verizon/Redbox are positioning themselves to be the preferred platform for content owners as video distribution increasingly moves online over time," Guggenheim analysts wrote in a Feb. 10 report.

Verizon's forward annual dividend yield is 5.2%.

Verizon shares reached a 52-week high on Jan. 3 of $40.48. The stock's 52-week low of $32.28 was set on Aug. 9.

The company's estimated price-to-earnings ratio for next year is 13.72; the average for fixed-line communications companies is 21.73. For comparison, AT&T (T) has a lower forward P/E of 11.96; Centurylink's (CTL) forward P/E is 15.72.

Twenty of the 37 analysts who cover Verizon rated it hold. Fifteen analysts gave the stock a buy rating and two rated it sell.

TheStreet Ratings gives Verizon a B- grade with a buy rating and $44.51 price target. The stock closed Monday at $38.13.

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