Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Gilead Sciences (GILD) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Gilead Sciences is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 987 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. 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. Gilead Sciences is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GILD's full-year earnings has moved 0.7% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, GILD has gained about 21% so far this year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of -4.7%. This means that Gilead Sciences is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Alignment Healthcare (ALHC) is another Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 16.8%.
In Alignment Healthcare's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 16.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, Gilead Sciences belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, a group that includes 495 individual companies and currently sits at #77 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 2.9% so far this year, so GILD is performing better in this area.
On the other hand, Alignment Healthcare belongs to the Medical Services industry. This 58-stock industry is currently ranked #56. The industry has moved -2.8% year to date.
Going forward, investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to Gilead Sciences and Alignment Healthcare as they could maintain their solid performance.
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Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD): Free Stock Analysis Report Alignment Healthcare, Inc. (ALHC): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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