Cliffs Natural Resources Inc (CLF), Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU), Apollo Group Inc (APOL): Today’s 3 Worst Stocks

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Still, no stock in the coal sector could match the more than 10% loss of today’s biggest loser on the S&P 500, Apollo Group Inc (NASDAQ:APOL). It’s not earnings season, but Apollo Group Inc (NASDAQ:APOL)’s earnings crumbled by 40% in the third quarter — a result that surprisingly beat estimates. Revenue didn’t do so well, falling 16% and missing expectations. The real killer? Apollo Group Inc (NASDAQ:APOL) projected full-year revenue to come in under analyst predictions.

The big picture’s far more troubling than one lost quarter for this company. Apollo Group Inc (NASDAQ:APOL) reported a double-digit percentage decline in student enrollment. Increasing focus and scrutiny on for-profit educators has pressured leading firms in the industry like Apollo Group Inc (NASDAQ:APOL), whose University of Phoenix system has become one of the most prominent names in the business. While Apollo Group Inc (NASDAQ:APOL)’s focused on cutting costs in the near future to prop up earnings, it’s hard to see enrollment making a real turnaround with the negative PR surrounding the industry. Tread carefully around this stock.

The best way to play the energy sector

Coal stocks may be getting hammered with regulators turning up the heat, but there are many different ways to play the energy sector — and The Motley Fool’s analysts have uncovered an under-the-radar company that’s dominating its industry. This company is a leading provider of equipment and components used in drilling and production operations, and poised to profit in a big way from it.

The article Today’s 3 Worst Stocks originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Dan Carroll has no position in any stocks mentioned, and neither does The Motley Fool.

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