The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is HCA Healthcare (HCA) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
HCA Healthcare is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 955 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #4. 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 model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. HCA Healthcare is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HCA's full-year earnings has moved 2.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the most recent data, HCA has returned 55.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of 2.6% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that HCA Healthcare is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another stock in the Medical sector, Acadia Pharmaceuticals (ACAD), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 25.3%.
The consensus estimate for Acadia Pharmaceuticals' current year EPS has increased 7.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, HCA Healthcare belongs to the Medical Services industry, which includes 63 individual stocks and currently sits at #92 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 7% so far this year, so HCA is performing better in this area.
On the other hand, Acadia Pharmaceuticals belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. This 470-stock industry is currently ranked #89. The industry has moved +10.3% year to date.
Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track HCA Healthcare and Acadia Pharmaceuticals. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA): Free Stock Analysis Report ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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