For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Carriage Services (CSV) 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Staples sector should help us answer this question.
Carriage Services is a member of the Consumer Staples sector. This group includes 180 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #15. 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 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. Carriage Services is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CSV's full-year earnings has moved 3.3% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
According to our latest data, CSV has moved about 7.1% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Consumer Staples sector has returned an average of 1.9% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Carriage Services is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another stock in the Consumer Staples sector, Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 7.1%.
Over the past three months, Grocery Outlet Holding Corp.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 11.1%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Carriage Services belongs to the Funeral Services industry, which includes 3 individual stocks and currently sits at #10 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 0.5% so far this year, so CSV is performing better in this area.
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp., however, belongs to the Consumer Products - Staples industry. Currently, this 37-stock industry is ranked #167. The industry has moved -5.3% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on Carriage Services and Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Carriage Services, Inc. (CSV): Free Stock Analysis Report Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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