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Are Medical Stocks Lagging McKesson (MCK) This Year?

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The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. McKesson (MCK - 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? 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.

McKesson is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 1113 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #6. 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. McKesson is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MCK's full-year earnings has moved 2.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, MCK has moved about 9.9% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of -3% on a year-to-date basis. This means that McKesson is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Medical sector, DaVita HealthCare (DVA - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 37.9%.

In DaVita HealthCare's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 7.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, McKesson belongs to the Medical - Dental Supplies industry, a group that includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #109 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 15.9% so far this year, so MCK is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

On the other hand, DaVita HealthCare belongs to the Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry. This 17-stock industry is currently ranked #40. The industry has moved -0.9% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to McKesson and DaVita HealthCare as they could maintain their solid performance.


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