Are Consumer Staples Stocks Lagging Helen of Troy (HELE) This Year?

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Investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Helen of Troy (HELE) 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 Staples sector should help us answer this question.

Helen of Troy is a member of the Consumer Staples sector. This group includes 194 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #7. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HELE's full-year earnings has moved 2.9% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, HELE has returned 16.1% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Staples companies have returned an average of -0.9%. As we can see, Helen of Troy is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

PepsiCo (PEP) is another Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 2.1%.

In PepsiCo's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 3.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Helen of Troy belongs to the Cosmetics industry, which includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #76 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 10.9% this year, meaning that HELE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

PepsiCo, however, belongs to the Beverages - Soft drinks industry. Currently, this 17-stock industry is ranked #97. The industry has moved +5.7% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on Helen of Troy and PepsiCo as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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