For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Helen of Troy (HELE) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Staples sector should help us answer this question.
Helen of Troy is one of 171 individual stocks in the Consumer Staples sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #13 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
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. Helen of Troy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HELE's full-year earnings has moved 4.8% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Our latest available data shows that HELE has returned about 10.3% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Consumer Staples stocks have gained an average of 7.3%. This means that Helen of Troy is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is New York Times Co. (NYT). The stock is up 8.8% year-to-date.
In New York Times Co.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 3.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Helen of Troy is a member of the Cosmetics industry, which includes 8 individual companies and currently sits at #57 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 23.2% so far this year, so HELE is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, New York Times Co. belongs to the Publishing - Newspapers industry. This 1-stock industry is currently ranked #12. The industry has moved -0.2% year to date.
Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on Helen of Troy and New York Times Co. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Helen of Troy Limited (HELE): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).