Is Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) Stock Outpacing Its Consumer Discretionary Peers This Year?

For those looking to find strong Consumer Discretionary stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Royal Caribbean (RCL) 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 Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.Royal Caribbean is a member of the Consumer Discretionary sector. This group includes 281 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #12. 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 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. Royal Caribbean is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for RCL's full-year earnings has moved 10.8% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.Based on the latest available data, RCL has gained about 30.2% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Discretionary companies have returned an average of -1.1%. This means that Royal Caribbean is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.Another Consumer Discretionary stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Cinemark Holdings (CNK). The stock has returned 54% year-to-date.For Cinemark Holdings, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 28.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, Royal Caribbean belongs to the Leisure and Recreation Services industry, a group that includes 31 individual stocks and currently sits at #181 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 6.5% so far this year, so RCL is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Cinemark Holdings is also part of the same industry.Investors with an interest in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to track Royal Caribbean and Cinemark Holdings. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.Check Out These Stocks Before They Report Earnings (Free Report) A stock can jump +10-20% in a single day after a positive earnings surprise. What if you could get in early on those stocks? It could be the "holy grail" of stock picking for investors.Zacks' new special report is designed to do exactly that. It reveals 5 promising stocks experts predict will crush earnings estimates and skyrocket in price.Download Earnings Season Profit Secrets today, absolutely free.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 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL): Free Stock Analysis Report Cinemark Holdings Inc (CNK): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks