Investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Anheuser-Busch Inbev (BUD) 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 Staples sector should help us answer this question.
Anheuser-Busch Inbev is a member of our Consumer Staples group, which includes 178 different companies and currently sits at #14 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 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. Anheuser-Busch Inbev is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BUD's full-year earnings has moved 1.9% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the latest available data, BUD has gained about 23% so far this year. At the same time, Consumer Staples stocks have gained an average of 12.6%. This means that Anheuser-Busch Inbev is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Freshpet (FRPT). The stock is up 22.6% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Freshpet's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 6.8%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, Anheuser-Busch Inbev belongs to the Beverages - Alcohol industry, a group that includes 16 individual companies and currently sits at #152 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 18.6% this year, meaning that BUD is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Freshpet, however, belongs to the Food - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this 41-stock industry is ranked #208. The industry has moved +7.7% so far this year.
Anheuser-Busch Inbev and Freshpet could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (BUD): Free Stock Analysis Report Freshpet, Inc. (FRPT): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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