The Consumer Discretionary group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Laureate Education (LAUR) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Laureate Education is a member of the Consumer Discretionary sector. This group includes 255 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. 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. Laureate Education is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for LAUR's full-year earnings has moved 6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Our latest available data shows that LAUR has returned about 19.1% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Consumer Discretionary group have gained about 3% on average. This means that Laureate Education is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Naspers Ltd. (NPSNY) is another Consumer Discretionary stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 33%.
For Naspers Ltd. the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 14.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
To break things down more, Laureate Education belongs to the Schools industry, a group that includes 17 individual companies and currently sits at #28 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 7.9% so far this year, so LAUR is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, Naspers Ltd. belongs to the Cable Television industry. This 8-stock industry is currently ranked #50. The industry has moved +1% year to date.
Investors interested in the Consumer Discretionary sector may want to keep a close eye on Laureate Education and Naspers Ltd. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Laureate Education (LAUR): Free Stock Analysis Report Naspers Ltd. (NPSNY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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