There’s a Wall Street momentum indicator that can help investors filter out the most overbought, and oversold, stocks. The “relative strength index” alerts investors of potential overbought and oversold conditions in the market by measuring the speed and magnitude of recent price moves. A stock is considered overbought if its 14-day RSI goes above 70. This indicates that it may be overextended after a strong run, meaning investors might want to reduce their exposure. Meanwhile, a stock with a 14-day RSI under 30 is considered oversold, meaning it may be time for investors consider adding exposure to the name. A low RSI can point to overly-negative sentiment about a stock and potentially signal a buying opportunity. Although overbought stocks can always rise further, theoretically until their RSI hits 100, and oversold stocks can still fall further, theoretically to zero, looking at RSIs remains helpful for investors looking to lighten up on existing positions or establish new ones. Stocks struggled last week , with the S & P 500 losing 0.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 0.1% for its third straight weekly decline. The pullback came as rates jumped on the back of stubbornly high inflation data and the prospects of tighter U.S. monetary policy. Still, there are some stocks that may have overextended to the upside. CNBC Pro screened for the 10 most overbought stocks in the S & P 500. We also look at the percentage of analysts rating the stocks a buy, their potential upside to their average price targets and performance in 2023. Catalent was one of the most overbought stocks in the S & P 500. The pharmaceutical company has a14-day RSI of 82.46. The stock has jumped 58% in 2023, though it’s still down 27% over the last 12 months. Analysts on average see the stock rising than 14%, FactSet data shows. Earlier this month, Bloomberg News reported that health conglomerate Danaher had expressed interest in buying Catalent. W.W. Grainger shares are also overbought. The industrial supply company has a 14-day RSI of 81.88. On top of that. The stock has rallied more than 21% to start 2023. Earlier in February, the company reported fourth-quarter earnings that topped analyst expectations. Still, analysts aren’t too keen on W.W. Grainger, with just 23.5% rating it a buy. GWW YTD mountain GWW in 2023 General Motors made our list of overbought stocks as well, with a 14-day RSI of 76.25. The automaker’s stock has started 2023 on the right foot, rallying 28.3%. The company’s fourth-quarter results easily topped estimates. GM also announced it had signed a deal with semiconductor maker GlobalFoundries, buoying investors’ hopes that the company escape the semiconductor chips shortage plaguing other automakers. Earlier in the month, Goldman Sachs said that General Motors is a promising stock, seeing its Cruise line as a technology leader. More than half of analysts covering GM rate it a buy, and the average price target implies upside of 10%. That said, based on its relative strength index, the stock may be overdue for a pullback near term. CNBC Pro also searched for oversold stocks in the S & P 500. Electronic Arts was identified as one of the most oversold stocks. The digital entertainment company’s 14-day RSI came in at just 17.48. However, 50% of analysts covering EA rate it as buy. EA is off to a rocky start, down 9% this year. Late last month, EA reported a disappointing quarterly revenue and reduced its outlook for bookings. Match Group has a 14-day RSI of 26.08. The online dating platform’s shares have plummeted more than 61% during the past 12 months. However, 57.7% of analysts rate it as buy. They also see the stock rallying 42%, based on the average analyst price target. —CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
