The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Itochu Corp. (ITOCY) 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Itochu Corp. is a member of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group includes 209 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.
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. Itochu Corp. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ITOCY's full-year earnings has moved 2.2% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, ITOCY has gained about 5.4% so far this year. At the same time, Retail-Wholesale stocks have gained an average of 2.8%. This shows that Itochu Corp. is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. (STKS). The stock has returned 53.5% year-to-date.
In The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 184.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
To break things down more, Itochu Corp. belongs to the Retail - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 18 individual companies and currently sits at #28 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 5.1% so far this year, so ITOCY is performing better in this area.
In contrast, The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. falls under the Retail - Restaurants industry. Currently, this industry has 39 stocks and is ranked #140. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -0.7%.
Itochu Corp. and The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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Itochu Corp. (ITOCY): Free Stock Analysis Report The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. (STKS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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