Investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Ecopetrol (EC) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Oils-Energy peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Ecopetrol is a member of our Oils-Energy group, which includes 247 different companies and currently sits at #8 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 proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Ecopetrol is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EC's full-year earnings has moved 0.7% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Our latest available data shows that EC has returned about 31.2% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 4.7%. This means that Ecopetrol is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Another stock in the Oils-Energy sector, Expand Energy (EXE), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 10.1%.
In Expand Energy's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 55.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
To break things down more, Ecopetrol belongs to the Oil and Gas - Integrated - International industry, a group that includes 14 individual companies and currently sits at #133 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 12.3% so far this year, meaning that EC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, Expand Energy belongs to the Alternative Energy - Other industry. This 47-stock industry is currently ranked #77. The industry has moved -1.1% year to date.
Investors with an interest in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to track Ecopetrol and Expand Energy. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Ecopetrol S.A. (EC): Free Stock Analysis Report Expand Energy Corporation (EXE): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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