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Is H&R Block (HRB) Stock Outpacing Its Consumer Discretionary Peers This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Consumer Discretionary stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. H&R Block (HRB - 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

H&R Block is a member of our Consumer Discretionary group, which includes 280 different companies and currently sits at #11 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. H&R Block is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HRB's full-year earnings has moved 10.5% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, HRB has moved about 32.4% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Consumer Discretionary companies have returned an average of -0.1%. This means that H&R Block is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Consumer Discretionary stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Sinclair (SBGI - Free Report) . The stock is up 7.5% year-to-date.

In Sinclair's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 21.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, H&R Block belongs to the Consumer Services - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 12 individual stocks and currently sits at #100 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 7.2% so far this year, meaning that HRB is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Sinclair falls under the Media Conglomerates industry. Currently, this industry has 15 stocks and is ranked #29. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -2.7%.

Investors interested in the Consumer Discretionary sector may want to keep a close eye on H&R Block and Sinclair as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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