Investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Carnival (CCL) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Carnival is one of 266 companies in the Consumer Discretionary group. The Consumer Discretionary group currently sits at #12 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.
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. Carnival is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CCL's full-year earnings has moved 5.4% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Our latest available data shows that CCL has returned about 3.7% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Consumer Discretionary sector has returned an average of 3% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Carnival is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another stock in the Consumer Discretionary sector, Sony (SONY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 35%.
For Sony, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Carnival belongs to the Leisure and Recreation Services industry, which includes 28 individual stocks and currently sits at #101 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 3.2% so far this year, so CCL is performing better in this area.
In contrast, Sony falls under the Audio Video Production industry. Currently, this industry has 6 stocks and is ranked #34. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +32%.
Investors with an interest in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to track Carnival and Sony. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Carnival Corporation (CCL): Free Stock Analysis Report Sony Corporation (SONY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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