Is Accel Entertainment (ACEL) Stock Outpacing Its Consumer Discretionary Peers This Year?
The Consumer Discretionary group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Accel Entertainment (ACEL) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Discretionary sector should help us answer this question.
Accel Entertainment is one of 277 individual stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #14 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Accel Entertainment is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACEL's full-year earnings has moved 1% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the latest available data, ACEL has gained about 3.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Consumer Discretionary sector has returned an average of -16.5% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Accel Entertainment is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another stock in the Consumer Discretionary sector, Pearson (PSO), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 3.5%.
For Pearson, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Accel Entertainment belongs to the Gaming industry, a group that includes 41 individual stocks and currently sits at #185 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 22.8% so far this year, meaning that ACEL is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Pearson falls under the Media Conglomerates industry. Currently, this industry has 6 stocks and is ranked #70. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -11.3%.
Investors interested in the Consumer Discretionary sector may want to keep a close eye on Accel Entertainment and Pearson as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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