Is Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Stock Outpacing Its Computer and Technology Peers This Year?

PANW

Investors focused on the Computer and Technology space have likely heard of Palo Alto Networks (PANW - Free Report) , 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 Computer and Technology sector should help us answer this question.

Palo Alto Networks is one of 594 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. PANW is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PANW's full-year earnings has moved 27.20% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, PANW has returned 44.34% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Computer and Technology sector has returned an average of 3.90% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Palo Alto Networks is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Looking more specifically, PANW belongs to the Security industry, which includes 11 individual stocks and currently sits at #28 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 32.46% so far this year, so PANW is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors with an interest in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to track PANW. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.

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