Has USA Technologies (USAT) Outpaced Other Computer And Technology Stocks This Year?

For those looking to find strong Computer and Technology stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. USA Technologies (USAT) 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 Computer and Technology sector should help us answer this question.

USA Technologies is one of 644 companies in the Computer and Technology group. The Computer and Technology group currently sits at #5 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for USAT's full-year earnings has moved 55.56% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that USAT has returned about 5.91% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Computer and Technology group have gained about 13.55% on average. This means that USA Technologies is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

To break things down more, USAT belongs to the Computer - Integrated Systems industry, a group that includes 8 individual companies and currently sits at #47 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 23.83% this year, meaning that USAT is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

USAT will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.