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Is Itochu (ITOCY) Stock Outpacing Its Retail-Wholesale Peers 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. Itochu Corp. (ITOCY - 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.

Itochu Corp. is one of 218 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #13 in 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 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. Itochu Corp. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ITOCY's full-year earnings has moved 0.7% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, ITOCY has gained about 10.5% so far this year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of 7.7%. This means that Itochu Corp. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Casey's General Stores (CASY - Free Report) is another Retail-Wholesale stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 9.1%.

For Casey's General Stores, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 12.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Itochu Corp. belongs to the Retail - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 20 individual stocks and currently sits at #97 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 8.5% so far this year, meaning that ITOCY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Casey's General Stores, however, belongs to the Retail - Convenience Stores industry. Currently, this 1-stock industry is ranked #1. The industry has moved +9.3% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on Itochu Corp. and Casey's General Stores as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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