The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Applied Therapeutics Inc. (APLT) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Applied Therapeutics Inc. is one of 1022 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. Applied Therapeutics Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APLT's full-year earnings has moved 18.6% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, APLT has gained about 157.6% so far this year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of 5%. This means that Applied Therapeutics Inc. is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Axonics Modulation Technologies (AXNX) is another Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 12.9%.

For Axonics Modulation Technologies, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 88.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Applied Therapeutics Inc. is a member of the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, which includes 503 individual companies and currently sits at #74 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 1.4% this year, meaning that APLT is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Axonics Modulation Technologies falls under the Medical Info Systems industry. Currently, this industry has 42 stocks and is ranked #74. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -12.5%.

Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Applied Therapeutics Inc. and Axonics Modulation Technologies as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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