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Are Consumer Staples Stocks Lagging Church & Dwight Co. (CHD) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Church & Dwight (CHD - 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 Consumer Staples peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Church & Dwight is one of 185 companies in the Consumer Staples group. The Consumer Staples group currently sits at #11 within 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. Church & Dwight is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CHD's full-year earnings has moved 0.8% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, CHD has moved about 10.9% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Consumer Staples stocks have gained an average of 1.3%. This means that Church & Dwight is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Vita Coco Company, Inc. (COCO - Free Report) . The stock is up 17.5% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Vita Coco Company, Inc.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 13.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Church & Dwight belongs to the Soap and Cleaning Materials industry, a group that includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #43 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 14.7% so far this year, so CHD is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Vita Coco Company, Inc. falls under the Beverages - Soft drinks industry. Currently, this industry has 14 stocks and is ranked #43. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +0.8%.

Church & Dwight and Vita Coco Company, Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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