For those looking to find strong Retail-Wholesale stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Ross Stores (ROST) been one of those stocks this year? 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.
Ross Stores is one of 193 companies in the Retail-Wholesale group. The Retail-Wholesale group currently sits at #10 within 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. 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 2.1% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the most recent data, ROST has returned 11.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Retail-Wholesale group have lost about 0.8% on average. This shows that Ross Stores is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Dillard's (DDS) is another Retail-Wholesale stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 9.4%.
For Dillard's, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 6.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, Ross Stores belongs to the Retail - Discount Stores industry, a group that includes 8 individual companies and currently sits at #27 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 11.3% so far this year, so ROST is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
Dillard's, however, belongs to the Retail - Regional Department Stores industry. Currently, this 3-stock industry is ranked #7. The industry has moved +4.3% so far this year.
Investors with an interest in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to track Ross Stores and Dillard's. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST): Free Stock Analysis Report Dillard's, Inc. (DDS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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