Investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Canadian Natural Resources is a member of the Oils-Energy sector. This group includes 240 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #1. 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 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. Canadian Natural Resources is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CNQ's full-year earnings has moved 57.5% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the most recent data, CNQ has returned 40.6% so far this year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 32.7%. This means that Canadian Natural Resources is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another Oils-Energy stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Enerflex (EFXT). The stock has returned 77.8% year-to-date.
In Enerflex's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 23.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Breaking things down more, Canadian Natural Resources is a member of the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - Canadian industry, which includes 8 individual companies and currently sits at #18 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 45.4% this year, meaning that CNQ is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.
Enerflex, however, belongs to the Alternative Energy - Other industry. Currently, this 51-stock industry is ranked #69. The industry has moved +25% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Oils-Energy sector may want to keep a close eye on Canadian Natural Resources and Enerflex as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).