For those looking to find strong Consumer Discretionary stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has American Public Education (APEI) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.
American Public Education is one of 259 companies in the Consumer Discretionary group. The Consumer Discretionary group currently sits at #8 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 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. American Public Education is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for APEI's full-year earnings has moved 9% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the most recent data, APEI has returned 32.3% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Discretionary companies have returned an average of -7.6%. This shows that American Public Education is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Expedia (EXPE) is another Consumer Discretionary stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 4.4%.
The consensus estimate for Expedia's current year EPS has increased 2.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, American Public Education belongs to the Schools industry, a group that includes 18 individual companies and currently sits at #87 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 4.6% so far this year, so APEI is performing better in this area.
On the other hand, Expedia belongs to the Leisure and Recreation Services industry. This 28-stock industry is currently ranked #66. The industry has moved 0% year to date.
Investors interested in the Consumer Discretionary sector may want to keep a close eye on American Public Education and Expedia as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.
This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.
Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
American Public Education, Inc. (APEI): Free Stock Analysis Report
Expedia Group, Inc. (EXPE): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).