Are Computer and Technology Stocks Lagging Belden (BDC) This Year?

For those looking to find strong Computer and Technology stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Belden (BDC) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Computer and Technology peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Belden is a member of our Computer and Technology group, which includes 608 different companies and currently sits at #4 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Belden is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BDC's full-year earnings has moved 0.5% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, BDC has moved about 11.9% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Computer and Technology group have lost about 2.5% on average. As we can see, Belden is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Cognex Corporation (CGNX) is another Computer and Technology stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 42.4%.

For Cognex Corporation, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 13.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Belden belongs to the Communication - Components industry, which includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #65 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 49.8% so far this year, so BDC is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

On the other hand, Cognex Corporation belongs to the Electronics - Testing Equipment industry. This 4-stock industry is currently ranked #13. The industry has moved +11.1% year to date.

Belden and Cognex Corporation could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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