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Is KimberlyClark (KMB) Outperforming Other Consumer Staples Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Kimberly-Clark (KMB - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Kimberly-Clark is a member of our Consumer Staples group, which includes 191 different companies and currently sits at #13 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 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. Kimberly-Clark is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KMB's full-year earnings has moved 2.1% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, KMB has moved about 12.3% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Consumer Staples group have gained about 1.9% on average. As we can see, Kimberly-Clark is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Lifeway Foods (LWAY - Free Report) is another Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 60.3%.

For Lifeway Foods, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 13.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Kimberly-Clark belongs to the Consumer Products - Staples industry, a group that includes 28 individual companies and currently sits at #57 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 6.4% so far this year, meaning that KMB is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Lifeway Foods belongs to the Food - Dairy Products industry. This 3-stock industry is currently ranked #93. The industry has moved -7.4% year to date.

Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on Kimberly-Clark and Lifeway Foods as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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