Yahoo Finance Are Medical Stocks Lagging HCA Healthcare (HCA) This Year?
For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has HCA Healthcare (HCA) 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.
HCA Healthcare is one of 1051 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. HCA Healthcare is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HCA's full-year earnings has moved 5.5% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the most recent data, HCA has returned 19.2% so far this year. At the same time, Medical stocks have gained an average of 0.2%. This shows that HCA Healthcare is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Addus HomeCare (ADUS). The stock has returned 4.2% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Addus HomeCare's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.8%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, HCA Healthcare belongs to the Medical - Hospital industry, a group that includes 5 individual companies and currently sits at #103 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 16.4% this year, meaning that HCA is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Addus HomeCare, however, belongs to the Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry. Currently, this 19-stock industry is ranked #93. The industry has moved +2.9% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on HCA Healthcare and Addus HomeCare as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Addus HomeCare Corporation (ADUS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
