For those looking to find strong Computer and Technology stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Agilent Technologies (A) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock’s year-to-date performance in comparison to its Computer and Technology peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Agilent Technologies is one of 619 individual stocks in the Computer and Technology sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #11 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. An is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for A’s full-year earnings has moved 6.81% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock’s earnings outlook is more positive.
Our latest available data shows that A has returned about 21.18% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Computer and Technology sector has returned an average of 15.28% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Agilent Technologies is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
To break things down more, A belongs to the Electronics – Testing Equipment industry, a group that includes 7 individual companies and currently sits at #113 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 9.24% so far this year, meaning that An is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Going forward, investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to An as it looks to continue its solid performance.
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