Are Medical Stocks Lagging Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (AMPH) This Year?
Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (AMPH) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Medical sector should help us answer this question.
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1149 different companies and currently sits at #3 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMPH's full-year earnings has moved 14.2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
According to our latest data, AMPH has moved about 40.2% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of -0.5% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
One other Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Addus HomeCare (ADUS). The stock is up 13.9% year-to-date.
In Addus HomeCare's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 2.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals belongs to the Medical - Generic Drugs industry, a group that includes 17 individual companies and currently sits at #67 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 7.7% this year, meaning that AMPH is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Addus HomeCare, however, belongs to the Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry. Currently, this 18-stock industry is ranked #162. The industry has moved +8.6% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals and Addus HomeCare as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMPH) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Addus HomeCare Corporation (ADUS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
