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Are Medical Stocks Lagging Atossa Genetics (ATOS) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Atossa Genetics Inc. (ATOS - 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.

Atossa Genetics Inc. is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 1023 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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 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. Atossa Genetics Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATOS' full-year earnings has moved 7.1% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, ATOS has moved about 61.4% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of 5.1%. As we can see, Atossa Genetics Inc. is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Medical sector, Cardinal Health (CAH - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 10%.

The consensus estimate for Cardinal Health's current year EPS has increased 0.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Atossa Genetics Inc. belongs to the Medical - Instruments industry, a group that includes 86 individual companies and currently sits at #53 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 5.1% so far this year, so ATOS is performing better in this area.

In contrast, Cardinal Health falls under the Medical - Dental Supplies industry. Currently, this industry has 17 stocks and is ranked #100. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -0.4%.

Atossa Genetics Inc. and Cardinal Health could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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