Yahoo Finance Is Agilent Technologies (A) Stock Outpacing Its Computer and Technology Peers This Year?
For those looking to find strong Computer and Technology stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Agilent Technologies (A) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Agilent Technologies is a member of the Computer and Technology sector. This group includes 655 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. 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 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. Agilent Technologies is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for A's full-year earnings has moved 3% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
According to our latest data, A has moved about 0.3% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Computer and Technology group have lost about 35.7% on average. This means that Agilent Technologies is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another stock in the Computer and Technology sector, Alps Electric (APELY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 3.5%.
The consensus estimate for Alps Electric's current year EPS has increased 9.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Looking more specifically, Agilent Technologies belongs to the Electronics - Testing Equipment industry, which includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #225 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 17.3% so far this year, so An is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Alps Electric falls under the Computer - Peripheral Equipment industry. Currently, this industry has 8 stocks and is ranked #33. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -34.1%.
Going forward, investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to Agilent Technologies and Alps Electric as they could maintain their solid performance.
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Agilent Technologies, Inc. (A) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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