Is Comcast (CMCSA) Stock Outpacing Its Consumer Discretionary Peers This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Consumer Discretionary stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Comcast (CMCSA) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? 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.

Comcast is one of 279 companies in the Consumer Discretionary group. The Consumer Discretionary group currently sits at #12 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Comcast is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CMCSA's full-year earnings has moved 2.7% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, CMCSA has moved about 15.7% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Consumer Discretionary sector has returned an average of 1% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Comcast is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Consumer Discretionary stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Adtalem Global Education (ATGE). The stock is up 44.7% year-to-date.

For Adtalem Global Education, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Comcast is a member of the Cable Television industry, which includes 10 individual companies and currently sits at #164 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 8.7% so far this year, so CMCSA is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Adtalem Global Education belongs to the Schools industry. This 19-stock industry is currently ranked #72. The industry has moved +21% year to date.

Investors interested in the Consumer Discretionary sector may want to keep a close eye on Comcast and Adtalem Global Education as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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