For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has PBF Energy (PBF) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Oils-Energy sector should help us answer this question.
PBF Energy is one of 252 individual stocks in the Oils-Energy sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #11 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 is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. PBF Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for PBF's full-year earnings has moved 103.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the latest available data, PBF has gained about 128.4% so far this year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 28.6%. This shows that PBF Energy is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Phillips 66 (PSX) is another Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 60.4%.
For Phillips 66, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 44.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, PBF Energy belongs to the Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry, which includes 16 individual stocks and currently sits at #19 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 59.1% so far this year, meaning that PBF is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Phillips 66 is also part of the same industry.
Going forward, investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to pay close attention to PBF Energy and Phillips 66 as they could maintain their solid performance.
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PBF Energy Inc. (PBF): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).