Are Consumer Discretionary Stocks Lagging Central Garden & Pet (CENTA) This Year?

Investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Central Garden (CENTA) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.Central Garden is one of 254 individual stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #10 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 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. Central Garden is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CENTA's full-year earnings has moved 10.1% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.Based on the latest available data, CENTA has gained about 12.8% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Discretionary companies have returned an average of 11.4%. This means that Central Garden is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.One other Consumer Discretionary stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Dunelm Group (DNLMY). The stock is up 21.7% year-to-date.The consensus estimate for Dunelm Group's current year EPS has increased 1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).To break things down more, Central Garden belongs to the Consumer Products - Discretionary industry, a group that includes 22 individual companies and currently sits at #78 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 7.9% so far this year, so CENTA is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Dunelm Group, however, belongs to the Textile - Home Furnishing industry. Currently, this 3-stock industry is ranked #96. The industry has moved -4.8% so far this year.Going forward, investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to pay close attention to Central Garden and Dunelm Group as they could maintain their solid performance.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.5% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Central Garden & Pet Company (CENTA): Free Stock Analysis Report Dunelm Group (DNLMY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks