For those looking to find strong Retail-Wholesale stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. eBay (EBAY) 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 Retail-Wholesale sector should help us answer this question.
eBay is a member of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group includes 196 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #12. 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 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. eBay is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EBAY's full-year earnings has moved 2.2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
According to our latest data, EBAY has moved about 53.3% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Retail-Wholesale group have gained about 6.8% on average. This means that eBay is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
One other Retail-Wholesale stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Hennes & Mauritz AB (HNNMY). The stock is up 41.1% year-to-date.
The consensus estimate for Hennes & Mauritz AB's current year EPS has increased 8.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, eBay is a member of the Internet - Commerce industry, which includes 35 individual companies and currently sits at #58 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 8.4% this year, meaning that EBAY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Hennes & Mauritz AB, however, belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry. Currently, this 38-stock industry is ranked #46. The industry has moved -10% so far this year.
Investors with an interest in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to track eBay and Hennes & Mauritz AB. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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eBay Inc. (EBAY): Free Stock Analysis Report Hennes & Mauritz AB (HNNMY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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