Investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Genesco (GCO) 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 Retail-Wholesale sector should help us answer this question.
Genesco is one of 183 companies in the Retail-Wholesale group. The Retail-Wholesale group currently sits at #9 within 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. Genesco is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GCO's full-year earnings has moved 4.4% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Our latest available data shows that GCO has returned about 45.9% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of -0.5%. This shows that Genesco is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Genuine Parts (GPC). The stock has returned 5.4% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Genuine Parts' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, Genesco belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry, a group that includes 38 individual companies and currently sits at #169 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 12% so far this year, meaning that GCO is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Genuine Parts falls under the Automotive - Retail and Wholesale - Parts industry. Currently, this industry has 6 stocks and is ranked #61. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -6%.
Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on Genesco and Genuine Parts as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Genesco Inc. (GCO): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).