For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. BJ's Wholesale Club (BJ) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
BJ's Wholesale Club is one of 178 individual stocks in the Consumer Staples sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #13 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 proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. BJ's Wholesale Club is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BJ's full-year earnings has moved 1.6% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the most recent data, BJ has returned 18% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Consumer Staples sector has returned an average of 3.7% on a year-to-date basis. This means that BJ's Wholesale Club is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another Consumer Staples stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Coca-Cola HBC (CCHGY). The stock has returned 55.5% year-to-date.
For Coca-Cola HBC, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 13.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Breaking things down more, BJ's Wholesale Club is a member of the Consumer Products - Staples industry, which includes 35 individual companies and currently sits at #72 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 5.4% so far this year, meaning that BJ is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, Coca-Cola HBC belongs to the Beverages - Soft drinks industry. This 17-stock industry is currently ranked #88. The industry has moved +4.2% year to date.
Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on BJ's Wholesale Club and Coca-Cola HBC as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (BJ): Free Stock Analysis Report Coca-Cola HBC (CCHGY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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