Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Bellus Health (BLU) Outperforming Other Medical Stocks This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Bellus Health 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.

Bellus Health is one of 1189 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 proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Bellus Health is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLU's full-year earnings has moved 5.2% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, BLU has gained about 14.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Medical group have lost about 24% on average. This means that Bellus Health is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Medical sector, EDAP TMS S.A. (EDAP - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 35.1%.

Over the past three months, EDAP TMS S.A.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 113.3%. 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 563 individual stocks and currently sits at #63 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 27.4% so far this year, meaning that BLU is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, EDAP TMS S.A. falls under the Medical - Instruments industry. Currently, this industry has 103 stocks and is ranked #135. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -37.6%.

Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Bellus Health and EDAP TMS S.A. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


EDAP TMS S.A. (EDAP) - free report >>

Published in