Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Consumer Discretionary Stocks Lagging American Woodmark (AMWD) This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The Consumer Discretionary group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is American Woodmark (AMWD - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Discretionary sector should help us answer this question.

American Woodmark is a member of our Consumer Discretionary group, which includes 280 different companies and currently sits at #6 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 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. American Woodmark is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMWD's full-year earnings has moved 22.3% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, AMWD has gained about 52.6% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Discretionary companies have returned an average of 14%. This means that American Woodmark is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Consumer Discretionary stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Activision Blizzard, Inc . The stock is up 19.5% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Activision Blizzard, Inc's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 4.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, American Woodmark belongs to the Furniture industry, which includes 9 individual stocks and currently sits at #60 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 11.1% so far this year, so AMWD is performing better in this area.

Activision Blizzard, Inc, however, belongs to the Toys - Games - Hobbies industry. Currently, this 7-stock industry is ranked #17. The industry has moved +16.1% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Consumer Discretionary sector may want to keep a close eye on American Woodmark and Activision Blizzard, Inc 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:


American Woodmark Corporation (AMWD) - free report >>

Published in