The Consumer Staples group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Altria (MO) 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 Consumer Staples sector should help us answer this question.
Altria is a member of the Consumer Staples sector. This group includes 171 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #16. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.
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. Altria is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MO's full-year earnings has moved 1.4% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
According to our latest data, MO has moved about 28.2% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Consumer Staples stocks have gained an average of 8.5%. This means that Altria is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Tyson Foods (TSN). The stock is up 11% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Tyson Foods' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 5.6%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, Altria belongs to the Tobacco industry, a group that includes 8 individual companies and currently sits at #180 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 15% so far this year, meaning that MO is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Tyson Foods falls under the Food - Meat Products industry. Currently, this industry has 5 stocks and is ranked #208. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -0%.
Investors with an interest in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to track Altria and Tyson Foods. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Altria Group, Inc. (MO): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).