For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Bellus Health (BLU) 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.
Bellus Health is one of 1191 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #4 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 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. Bellus Health is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLU’s full-year earnings has moved 1.4% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the most recent data, BLU has returned 34.3% so far this year. At the same time, Medical stocks have lost an average of 11.5%. This means that Bellus Health is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Another stock in the Medical sector, Adherex Technologies Inc. (FENC), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock’s year-to-date return is 45%.
The consensus estimate for Adherex Technologies Inc.’s current year EPS has increased 16.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Bellus Health belongs to the Medical – Biomedical and Genetics industry, a group that includes 558 individual stocks and currently sits at #76 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 17.7% this year, meaning that BLU is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Adherex Technologies Inc. however, belongs to the Medical – Drugs industry. Currently, this 224-stock industry is ranked #89. The industry has moved -18.4% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Bellus Health and Adherex Technologies Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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