Investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Next PLC (NXGPY) 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.
Next PLC is a member of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group includes 197 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #9. 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. Next PLC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NXGPY's full-year earnings has moved 2.9% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Our latest available data shows that NXGPY has returned about 44% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of 7.5%. This means that Next PLC is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is American Eagle Outfitters (AEO). The stock has returned 43.8% year-to-date.
In American Eagle Outfitters' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 23.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Next PLC is a member of the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry, which includes 39 individual companies and currently sits at #70 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 4.1% so far this year, so NXGPY is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. American Eagle Outfitters is also part of the same industry.
Next PLC and American Eagle Outfitters could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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Next PLC (NXGPY): Free Stock Analysis Report American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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