Are Medical Stocks Lagging Aquestive Therapeutics (AQST) This Year?
The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Aquestive Therapeutics (AQST) 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.
Aquestive Therapeutics is one of 1087 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #2 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.
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. Aquestive Therapeutics is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AQST's full-year earnings has moved 72.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the most recent data, AQST has returned 135% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of -6.9% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Aquestive Therapeutics is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
One other Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is AC Immune (ACIU). The stock is up 50% year-to-date.
The consensus estimate for AC Immune's current year EPS has increased 5.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Aquestive Therapeutics belongs to the Medical - Drugs industry, which includes 192 individual stocks and currently sits at #59 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 11.2% so far this year, meaning that AQST is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, AC Immune falls under the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. Currently, this industry has 528 stocks and is ranked #43. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -21.7%.
Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track Aquestive Therapeutics and AC Immune. These stocks will be looking 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
Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (AQST) : Free Stock Analysis Report
AC Immune (ACIU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
