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For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is United Therapeutics (UTHR) one of those stocks right now? 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.
United Therapeutics is one of 1011 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #1 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.
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. United Therapeutics is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for UTHR's full-year earnings has moved 4.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the most recent data, UTHR has returned 3.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Medical group have lost about 3.9% on average. This means that United Therapeutics is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is AnaptysBio, Inc. (ANAB). The stock has returned 8.5% year-to-date.
In AnaptysBio, Inc.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 24% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, United Therapeutics is a member of the Medical - Drugs industry, which includes 161 individual companies and currently sits at #63 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 9.2% this year, meaning that UTHR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, AnaptysBio, Inc. falls under the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. Currently, this industry has 513 stocks and is ranked #64. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -12.6%.
Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on United Therapeutics and AnaptysBio, Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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