Defining a stock's sector

[benjamen]

Related to this thread:
http://dividendgrowthforum.com/showthread.php?tid=710

How do you define the sector of a particular stock?
Main Street Stock Investor uses GICS, but there seems to be multiple methods.

For example, CVX is in the Energy sector of GICS, but yahoo financial shows it's sector as Basic Materials.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=CVX+Profile


What is the most often used method of classifying the sector or industry of a stock?

[Dividend Watcher]

Generally I use what's on the S&P data sheet available from my brokerage. Then I adjust as necessary to make sense just a you mentioned with CVX. They're an energy stock in my book same as the drillers and pipelines. I don't know what would classify as an energy company if you took out the aforementioned and included them in basic materials. Utes have their own classification so it's not them. Solar?

[Main Street Stock Investor]

Benjamen,

There is a good write-up on the two sector classifications at the Investopedia web site. GICS vs. ICB. Here is the link
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/sto...chmark.asp

M$$I

[benjamen]

Follow up question:
How do you look up the sector of a company? For example, depending on where I look, I see Altria listed as a consumer discretionary stock or a consumer staples stock. Where can I go to quickly look the sector up on a stock?

[Kerim]

(11-06-2014, 08:39 AM)benjamen Wrote: I see Altria listed as a consumer discretionary stock or a consumer staples stock.

One man's staple is another man's discretion! I guess it depends whether you are addicted or not!

[Roadmap2Retire]

(11-06-2014, 04:35 PM)Kerim Wrote:

(11-06-2014, 08:39 AM)benjamen Wrote: I see Altria listed as a consumer discretionary stock or a consumer staples stock.

One man's staple is another man's discretion! I guess it depends whether you are addicted or not!

Hah! Well said, Kerim. That is a brilliant point.

[Robert_NL]

I always use the categorization Reuters uses.

[Main Street Stock Investor]

Standard & Poor's just announced yesterday that an 11th sector will be added to the GICS classification standard. The 11th sector will be real estate, and real estate related companies will no longer be included in the financial sector. fyi

M$$I

[EricL]

(11-11-2014, 02:12 PM)Main Street Stock Investor Wrote: Standard & Poor's just announced yesterday that an 11th sector will be added to the GICS classification standard. The 11th sector will be real estate, and real estate related companies will no longer be included in the financial sector. fyi

M$$I

Makes sense to me, I always wondered why O and OHI were considered financials.

[Roadmap2Retire]

Finally! I always thought it was weird that REITs were considered financials. For my own diversification charts, I separate them out. Good to see S&P take the lead and do this. Hopefully the rest of the standards will follow.

[daat99]

(11-11-2014, 02:12 PM)Main Street Stock Investor Wrote: Standard & Poor's just announced yesterday that an 11th sector will be added to the GICS classification standard. The 11th sector will be real estate, and real estate related companies will no longer be included in the financial sector. fyi

M$$I

Awesome news!

[ronn38]

3rd post by Hc35...