Are Medical Stocks Lagging Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) This Year?

Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) 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.Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is one of 947 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #5 within 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 proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AUPH's full-year earnings has moved 20.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.Our latest available data shows that AUPH has returned about 72.9% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of 3.9%. This shows that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is outperforming its peers so far this year.Cardinal Health (CAH) is another Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 67.4%.In Cardinal Health's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 4.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals belongs to the Medical - Drugs industry, a group that includes 146 individual stocks and currently sits at #84 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 5% this year, meaning that AUPH is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. On the other hand, Cardinal Health belongs to the Medical - Dental Supplies industry. This 14-stock industry is currently ranked #99. The industry has moved +9.1% year to date.Aurinia Pharmaceuticals and Cardinal Health could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.Zacks Naming Top 10 Stocks for 2026Want to be tipped off early to our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2026? History suggests their performance could be sensational.From 2012 (when our Director of Research Sheraz Mian assumed responsibility for the portfolio) through November, 2025, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,530.8%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +570.3%.Now Sheraz is combing through 4,400 companies to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2026. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these stocks when they’re released on January 5. Be First to New Top 10 Stocks >>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 Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (AUPH): Free Stock Analysis Report Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH): 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