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For those looking to find strong Consumer Discretionary stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (LINC) 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.
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is one of 272 individual stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
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. Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LINC's full-year earnings has moved 5.9% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the latest available data, LINC has gained about 54% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Discretionary companies have returned an average of 11.6%. This shows that Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is outperforming its peers so far this year.
One other Consumer Discretionary stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Adtalem Global Education (ATGE). The stock is up 50% year-to-date.
In Adtalem Global Education's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, Lincoln Educational Services Corporation belongs to the Schools industry, a group that includes 17 individual companies and currently sits at #12 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 1.9% so far this year, meaning that LINC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Adtalem Global Education is also part of the same industry.
Investors interested in the Consumer Discretionary sector may want to keep a close eye on Lincoln Educational Services Corporation and Adtalem Global Education as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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