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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. Has Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (BAYRY) been one of those stocks this year? 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.
Bayer Aktiengesellschaft is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1001 different companies and currently sits at #4 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. Bayer Aktiengesellschaft is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BAYRY's full-year earnings has moved 7.6% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Our latest available data shows that BAYRY has returned about 39.3% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of -6.7% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Bayer Aktiengesellschaft is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another stock in the Medical sector, Boston Scientific (BSX), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 15.2%.
For Boston Scientific, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Bayer Aktiengesellschaft belongs to the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry, which includes 11 individual stocks and currently sits at #42 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 5.9% so far this year, meaning that BAYRY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Boston Scientific falls under the Medical - Products industry. Currently, this industry has 82 stocks and is ranked #167. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +5.4%.
Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track Bayer Aktiengesellschaft and Boston Scientific. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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