Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Humana (HUM) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Humana is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 914 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #6. 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. Humana is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HUM's full-year earnings has moved 5.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, HUM has gained about 50.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of 0.8% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Humana is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Envoy Medical, Inc. (COCH). The stock has returned 15% year-to-date.
For Envoy Medical, Inc., the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Humana is a member of the Medical - HMOs industry, which includes 7 individual companies and currently sits at #46 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 27% so far this year, so HUM is performing better in this area.
In contrast, Envoy Medical, Inc. falls under the Medical - Instruments industry. Currently, this industry has 77 stocks and is ranked #182. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -12.2%.
Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Humana and Envoy Medical, Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Humana Inc. (HUM): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).