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Are Computer and Technology Stocks Lagging Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) This Year?

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The Computer and Technology group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Axcelis Technologies (ACLS - 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.

Axcelis Technologies is a member of our Computer and Technology group, which includes 643 different companies and currently sits at #7 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Axcelis Technologies is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACLS' full-year earnings has moved 13.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, ACLS has gained about 60.4% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Computer and Technology group have gained about 19.6% on average. This means that Axcelis Technologies is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Computer and Technology stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is ServiceNow (NOW - Free Report) . The stock is up 21.7% year-to-date.

In ServiceNow's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 5.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Axcelis Technologies belongs to the Electronics - Manufacturing Machinery industry, which includes 10 individual stocks and currently sits at #181 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 17.2% this year, meaning that ACLS is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

ServiceNow, however, belongs to the Computers - IT Services industry. Currently, this 40-stock industry is ranked #152. The industry has moved +3.4% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Computer and Technology sector may want to keep a close eye on Axcelis Technologies and ServiceNow as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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