Are Consumer Staples Stocks Lagging Service Corporation International (SCI) This Year?

For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Service Corp. (SCI) 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Staples peers, we might be able to answer that question.Service Corp. is a member of our Consumer Staples group, which includes 184 different companies and currently sits at #16 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.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. Service Corp. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for SCI's full-year earnings has moved 1.9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.Based on the most recent data, SCI has returned 2.3% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Consumer Staples group have gained about 1.2% on average. This means that Service Corp. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.Another Consumer Staples stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is United Natural Foods (UNFI). The stock has returned 44.8% year-to-date.The consensus estimate for United Natural Foods' current year EPS has increased 23% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).Looking more specifically, Service Corp. belongs to the Funeral Services industry, a group that includes 3 individual stocks and currently sits at #17 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 1.3% so far this year, so SCI is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. On the other hand, United Natural Foods belongs to the Food - Miscellaneous industry. This 42-stock industry is currently ranked #196. The industry has moved -9.3% year to date.Service Corp. and United Natural Foods could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is HereThe AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. Little-known AI firms tackling the world's biggest problems may be more lucrative in the coming months and years.See "2nd Wave" AI stocks 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 Service Corporation International (SCI): Free Stock Analysis Report United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI): 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