We have already introduced the 2011 Dogs of the Dow for investors looking into 2011.  The term “dogs” might imply that they are the worst performers when they are actually just the highest dividend yields of the 30 components.  There is a different group of the major underperforming stocks which are DJIA components, a group we’d like to dub “The Sloths of the Dow” for investors looking into 2011.  To qualify as a s
loth is simple: the worst performance for the year.  Some derivations of Dogs have been made to include five component rather than ten components, and frankly we do not want to label 10 DJIA components as sloths after such a great 2010.

We have selected five DJIA stocks which have performed miserably in 2010 compared to the 30 DJIA components.  The Sloths of the Dow going into 2011 are Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ), Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), and now the list includes American Express Company (NYSE: AXP).