Investors focused on the Consumer Staples space have likely heard of Philip Morris International (PM), but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Staples sector should help us answer this question.
Philip Morris International is one of 166 companies in the Consumer Staples group. The Consumer Staples group currently sits at #5 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 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. PM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for PM's full-year earnings has moved 0.57% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the most recent data, PM has returned 28.53% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Consumer Staples sector has returned an average of 10.93% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Philip Morris International is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Looking more specifically, PM belongs to the Tobacco industry, a group that includes 8 individual stocks and currently sits at #82 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 23.06% so far this year, so PM is performing better in this area.
Investors in the Consumer Staples sector will want to keep a close eye on PM as it attempts to continue its solid performance.
Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM): Free Stock Analysis Report
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