The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Ameren (AEE) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Ameren is one of 111 individual stocks in the Utilities sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #14 in 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 system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Ameren is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEE's full-year earnings has moved 1.3% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Our latest available data shows that AEE has returned about 11.5% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Utilities companies have returned an average of 6.5%. This means that Ameren is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Another Utilities stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is American Electric Power (AEP). The stock has returned 14.9% year-to-date.
For American Electric Power, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Ameren is a member of the Utility - Electric Power industry, which includes 63 individual companies and currently sits at #158 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 7.9% so far this year, so AEE is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. American Electric Power is also part of the same industry.
Investors interested in the Utilities sector may want to keep a close eye on Ameren and American Electric Power as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Ameren Corporation (AEE): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).