The Computer and Technology group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Axcelis Technologies is one of 605 individual stocks in the Computer and Technology sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 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 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. Axcelis Technologies is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACLS' full-year earnings has moved 31.2% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the most recent data, ACLS has returned 16.3% so far this year. At the same time, Computer and Technology stocks have gained an average of 12.4%. As we can see, Axcelis Technologies is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
One other Computer and Technology stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is F5 Networks (FFIV). The stock is up 26.2% year-to-date.
The consensus estimate for F5 Networks' current year EPS has increased 6.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Looking more specifically, Axcelis Technologies belongs to the Electronics - Manufacturing Machinery industry, which includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #102 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 11.7% so far this year, meaning that ACLS is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, F5 Networks falls under the Internet - Software industry. Currently, this industry has 173 stocks and is ranked #71. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +19.5%.
Going forward, investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to Axcelis Technologies and F5 Networks as they could maintain their solid performance.
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Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (ACLS): Free Stock Analysis Report F5, Inc. (FFIV): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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