The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Ameren (AEE) 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? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of AEE and the rest of the Utilities group's stocks.
Ameren is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 125 different companies and currently sits at #9 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. AEE is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEE's full-year earnings has moved 3.86% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
According to our latest data, AEE has moved about 14.10% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Utilities companies have returned an average of 0.83%. This means that Ameren is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Looking more specifically, AEE belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, which includes 66 individual stocks and currently sits at #102 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 4.31% so far this year, so AEE is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
AEE will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.
Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE): Free Stock Analysis Report
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