Are Consumer Staples Stocks Lagging Ahold (ADRNY) This Year?
The Consumer Staples group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Ahold NV (ADRNY) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Ahold NV is one of 197 individual stocks in the Consumer Staples sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #2 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Ahold NV is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ADRNY's full-year earnings has moved 6.9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the latest available data, ADRNY has gained about 3% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Staples companies have returned an average of -1.1%. This means that Ahold NV is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Associated British Foods PLC (ASBFY). The stock is up 22% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Associated British Foods PLC's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 10.2%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Looking more specifically, Ahold NV belongs to the Consumer Products - Staples industry, a group that includes 29 individual stocks and currently sits at #101 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 4.4% so far this year, so ADRNY is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
Associated British Foods PLC, however, belongs to the Food - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this 50-stock industry is ranked #82. The industry has moved -2.2% so far this year.
Going forward, investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to pay close attention to Ahold NV and Associated British Foods PLC as they could maintain their solid performance.
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