For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has EUROFINS SCIENT (ERFSF) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
EUROFINS SCIENT is one of 1005 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #5 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.
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. EUROFINS SCIENT is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ERFSF's full-year earnings has moved 2.8% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the most recent data, ERFSF has returned 3.3% so far this year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of 1.2%. This means that EUROFINS SCIENT is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Abbott (ABT). The stock has returned 16.4% year-to-date.
In Abbott's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 0.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, EUROFINS SCIENT belongs to the Medical Services industry, a group that includes 58 individual stocks and currently sits at #66 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 2.8% so far this year, so ERFSF is performing better in this area.
Abbott, however, belongs to the Medical - Products industry. Currently, this 81-stock industry is ranked #173. The industry has moved +7% so far this year.
Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track EUROFINS SCIENT and Abbott. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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