Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Assertio (ASRT) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock’s year-to-date performance in comparison to its Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Assertio is one of 1183 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #8 within 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 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. Assertio is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASRT’s full-year earnings has moved 15.2% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company’s earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, ASRT has gained about 42.7% so far this year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of -10.3%. As we can see, Assertio is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
One other Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is UnitedHealth Group (UNH). The stock is up 1% year-to-date.
The consensus estimate for UnitedHealth Group’s current year EPS has increased 0.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Assertio belongs to the Medical – Drugs industry, a group that includes 231 individual stocks and currently sits at #148 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 22.3% so far this year, so ASRT is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
UnitedHealth Group, however, belongs to the Medical – HMOs industry. Currently, this 8-stock industry is ranked #79. The industry has moved +2.5% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Assertio and UnitedHealth Group as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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