Are Medical Stocks Lagging Abbott Laboratories (ABT) This Year?

Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Abbott (ABT) 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Medical sector should help us answer this question.Abbott is one of 985 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #8 within 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 proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Abbott is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ABT's full-year earnings has moved 0% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.According to our latest data, ABT has moved about 6.5% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of -5.7% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Abbott is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.One other Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Astellas Pharma Inc. (ALPMY). The stock is up 0.7% year-to-date.For Astellas Pharma Inc., the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 13.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, Abbott belongs to the Medical - Products industry, a group that includes 84 individual stocks and currently sits at #169 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 3% so far this year, so ABT is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. In contrast, Astellas Pharma Inc. falls under the Medical - Drugs industry. Currently, this industry has 155 stocks and is ranked #86. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +6.6%.Abbott and Astellas Pharma Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the months ahead. They includeStock #1: A Disruptive Force with Notable Growth and ResilienceStock #2: Bullish Signs Signaling to Buy the DipStock #3: One of the Most Compelling Investments in the MarketStock #4: Leader In a Red-Hot Industry Poised for GrowthStock #5: Modern Omni-Channel Platform Coiled to SpringMost of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +171%, +209% and +232%.Download Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback free today.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 Abbott Laboratories (ABT): Free Stock Analysis Report Astellas Pharma Inc. (ALPMY): 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