Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) 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 Medical sector should help us answer this question.
AmerisourceBergen is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1114 different companies and currently sits at #13 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. AmerisourceBergen is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ABC's full-year earnings has moved 0.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the latest available data, ABC has gained about 26.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Medical group have lost about 7.5% on average. This shows that AmerisourceBergen is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH). The stock has returned 11.1% year-to-date.
In Amphastar Pharmaceuticals' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 39.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
To break things down more, AmerisourceBergen belongs to the Medical - Dental Supplies industry, a group that includes 21 individual companies and currently sits at #104 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 12.4% this year, meaning that ABC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals falls under the Medical - Generic Drugs industry. Currently, this industry has 16 stocks and is ranked #111. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -20.2%.
Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on AmerisourceBergen and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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