The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Ross Stores (ROST) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Ross Stores is one of 196 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #9 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. Ross Stores is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ROST's full-year earnings has moved 4.3% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
According to our latest data, ROST has moved about 19.8% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Retail-Wholesale group have gained about 7.4% on average. This means that Ross Stores is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY). The stock has returned 14.6% year-to-date.
In Bed Bath & Beyond's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 12.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Ross Stores belongs to the Retail - Discount Stores industry, a group that includes 8 individual stocks and currently sits at #45 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 6.4% so far this year, meaning that ROST is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, Bed Bath & Beyond belongs to the Internet - Commerce industry. This 34-stock industry is currently ranked #83. The industry has moved +10.1% year to date.
Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on Ross Stores and Bed Bath & Beyond as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST): Free Stock Analysis Report Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. (BBBY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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