The Consumer Discretionary group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Boyd Gaming (BYD) 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 Consumer Discretionary sector should help us answer this question.
Boyd Gaming is a member of our Consumer Discretionary group, which includes 261 different companies and currently sits at #11 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. Boyd Gaming is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BYD's full-year earnings has moved 2.9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
According to our latest data, BYD has moved about 2.6% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Consumer Discretionary sector has returned an average of 1.3% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Boyd Gaming is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another stock in the Consumer Discretionary sector, Central Garden (CENT), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 2.9%.
The consensus estimate for Central Garden's current year EPS has increased 2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Boyd Gaming belongs to the Gaming industry, a group that includes 41 individual stocks and currently sits at #194 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 5.1% so far this year, so BYD is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.
On the other hand, Central Garden belongs to the Consumer Products - Discretionary industry. This 27-stock industry is currently ranked #184. The industry has moved -2.1% year to date.
Investors with an interest in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to track Boyd Gaming and Central Garden. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Boyd Gaming Corporation (BYD): Free Stock Analysis Report Central Garden & Pet Company (CENT): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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