The Computer and Technology group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. ACM Research, Inc. (ACMR) 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Computer and Technology sector should help us answer this question.

ACM Research, Inc. is one of 608 individual stocks in the Computer and Technology sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #7 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. ACM Research, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACMR's full-year earnings has moved 40.4% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, ACMR has returned 22.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Computer and Technology sector has returned an average of -17.3% on a year-to-date basis. This means that ACM Research, Inc. is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Computer and Technology stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Pitney Bowes (PBI). The stock has returned 11.7% year-to-date.

In Pitney Bowes' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 12% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, ACM Research, Inc. belongs to the Semiconductor Equipment - Material Services industry, a group that includes 1 individual stocks and currently sits at #1 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 4.2% this year, meaning that ACMR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Pitney Bowes, however, belongs to the Office Automation and Equipment industry. Currently, this 5-stock industry is ranked #208. The industry has moved +11.7% so far this year.

Going forward, investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to ACM Research, Inc. and Pitney Bowes as they could maintain their solid performance.

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

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