The Computer and Technology group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Alps Electric (APELY) 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Computer and Technology peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Alps Electric is one of 604 individual stocks in the Computer and Technology sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #2 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
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. Alps Electric is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for APELY's full-year earnings has moved 43.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Our latest available data shows that APELY has returned about 30% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Computer and Technology sector has returned an average of 21.4% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Alps Electric is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Amphenol (APH) is another Computer and Technology stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 89.5%.
In Amphenol's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 8.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
To break things down more, Alps Electric belongs to the Electronics - Miscellaneous Components industry, a group that includes 24 individual companies and currently sits at #53 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 36.9% this year, meaning that APELY is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Amphenol falls under the Electronics - Connectors industry. Currently, this industry has 1 stocks and is ranked #1. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +88.9%.
Going forward, investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to Alps Electric and Amphenol as they could maintain their solid performance.
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Alps Electric (APELY): Free Stock Analysis Report Amphenol Corporation (APH): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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