Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Evergy (EVRG) This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Utilities stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Evergy Inc (EVRG - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Utilities sector should help us answer this question.

Evergy Inc is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 106 different companies and currently sits at #9 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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. Evergy Inc is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EVRG's full-year earnings has moved 0.3% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, EVRG has gained about 2.3% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Utilities sector has returned an average of 1.8% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Evergy Inc is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Utilities sector, Iberdrola S.A. (IBDRY - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 2.4%.

For Iberdrola S.A. the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Evergy Inc belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, a group that includes 59 individual stocks and currently sits at #76 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 2.7% so far this year, so EVRG is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Iberdrola S.A. is also part of the same industry.

Evergy Inc and Iberdrola S.A. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Iberdrola S.A. (IBDRY) - free report >>

Evergy Inc. (EVRG) - free report >>

Published in