Investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has National Vision (EYE) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Staples peers, we might be able to answer that question.

National Vision is a member of the Consumer Staples sector. This group includes 181 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #13. 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 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. National Vision is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EYE's full-year earnings has moved 30.1% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that EYE has returned about 29.2% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Consumer Staples sector has returned an average of 3.8% on a year-to-date basis. This means that National Vision is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Consumer Staples sector, Pilgrim's Pride (PPC), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 12.5%.

Over the past three months, Pilgrim's Pride's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 11.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, National Vision belongs to the Consumer Products - Staples industry, a group that includes 31 individual stocks and currently sits at #149 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 3.5% so far this year, meaning that EYE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Pilgrim's Pride, however, belongs to the Food - Meat Products industry. Currently, this 4-stock industry is ranked #13. The industry has moved -10.6% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on National Vision and Pilgrim's Pride as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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

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