The best performing sector as of midday Wednesday is the Energy sector, up 1.0%. Within the sector, Schlumberger Ltd (Symbol: SLB) and Exxon Mobil Corp (Symbol: XOM) are two large stocks leading the way, showing a gain of 2.2% and 2.1%, respectively. Among energy ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLE), which is up 1.4% on the day, and up 8.14% year-to-date. Schlumberger Ltd, meanwhile, is up 13.52% year-to-date, and Exxon Mobil Corp is up 9.97% year-to-date. Combined, SLB and XOM make up approximately 27.8% of the underlying holdings of XLE.

The next best performing sector is the Materials sector, higher by 0.8%. Among large Materials stocks, Nucor Corp. (Symbol: NUE) and PPG Industries Inc (Symbol: PPG) are the most notable, showing a gain of 6.4% and 2.9%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Materials stocks is the Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB), which is up 1.4% in midday trading, and up 1.32% on a year-to-date basis. Nucor Corp., meanwhile, is up 9.12% year-to-date, and PPG Industries Inc is up 2.19% year-to-date. Combined, NUE and PPG make up approximately 7.3% of the underlying holdings of XLB.

Comparing these stocks and ETFs on a trailing twelve month basis, below is a relative stock price performance chart, with each of the symbols shown in a different color as labeled in the legend at the bottom:

Here’s a snapshot of how the S&P 500 components within the various sectors are faring in afternoon trading on Wednesday. As you can see, five sectors are up on the day, while four sectors are down.

25 Dividend Giants Widely Held By ETFs »

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.