For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Boston Scientific (BSX) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Boston Scientific is one of 978 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #7 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.
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. Boston Scientific is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BSX's full-year earnings has moved 2.2% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Our latest available data shows that BSX has returned about 14.9% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of -6.6%. This means that Boston Scientific is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
One other Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX). The stock is up 13.9% year-to-date.
For Amneal Pharmaceuticals, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 8.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Boston Scientific belongs to the Medical - Products industry, which includes 84 individual stocks and currently sits at #149 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 5% so far this year, so BSX is performing better in this area.
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, however, belongs to the Medical - Drugs industry. Currently, this 153-stock industry is ranked #83. The industry has moved +5.7% so far this year.
Going forward, investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to Boston Scientific and Amneal Pharmaceuticals as they could maintain their solid performance.
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Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX): Free Stock Analysis Report AMNEAL PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (AMRX): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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