Underperform

If an investment is underperforming, it is not keeping pace with other securities. In a rising market, for example, a stock is underperforming if it is not experiencing gains equal to or greater to the advance in the S&P 500 Index. In a down market, a stock that is a falling faster than the broader market is an underpeformer. Underperform is also an analyst recommendation assigned to a stock when shares are expected to do slightly worse than the market return. The designation is also known as market moderate sell or weak hold.