Are Medical Stocks Lagging Arch Therapeutics (ARTH) This Year?

AMPH ARTH

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

Arch Therapeutics, Inc. is one of 1086 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #4 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. Arch Therapeutics, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ARTH's full-year earnings has moved 71.2% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, ARTH has returned 34.8% so far this year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of -3.2%. As we can see, Arch Therapeutics, Inc. is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Medical sector, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (AMPH - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 123.1%.

In Amphastar Pharmaceuticals' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 16.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Arch Therapeutics, Inc. belongs to the Medical - Instruments industry, which includes 93 individual stocks and currently sits at #81 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 4.5% so far this year, so ARTH is performing better in this area.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, however, belongs to the Medical - Generic Drugs industry. Currently, this 15-stock industry is ranked #83. The industry has moved +40.1% so far this year.

Arch Therapeutics, Inc. and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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