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Is J.Jill (JILL) Outperforming Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Retail-Wholesale stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. J.Jill (JILL - 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Retail-Wholesale sector should help us answer this question.

J.Jill is one of 209 companies in the Retail-Wholesale group. The Retail-Wholesale group currently sits at #10 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. J.Jill is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for JILL's full-year earnings has moved 6.1% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, JILL has returned 30.5% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Retail-Wholesale group have gained about 4.8% on average. This means that J.Jill is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 32.5%.

The consensus estimate for El Pollo Loco Holdings' current year EPS has increased 13.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, J.Jill belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry, a group that includes 40 individual companies and currently sits at #169 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 0.1% this year, meaning that JILL is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, El Pollo Loco Holdings belongs to the Retail - Restaurants industry. This 43-stock industry is currently ranked #178. The industry has moved -6.5% year to date.

J.Jill and El Pollo Loco Holdings could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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