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Is Asbury Automotive Group (ABG) Stock Outpacing Its Retail-Wholesale Peers This Year?

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Investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Asbury Automotive Group (ABG - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Asbury Automotive Group is one of 220 companies in the Retail-Wholesale group. The Retail-Wholesale group currently sits at #5 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 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. Asbury Automotive Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ABG's full-year earnings has moved 3.1% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, ABG has moved about 15.2% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of -8.4%. This means that Asbury Automotive Group is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector, Levi Strauss (LEVI - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 26.4%.

For Levi Strauss, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Asbury Automotive Group belongs to the Automotive - Retail and Whole Sales industry, a group that includes 9 individual companies and currently sits at #42 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 36.8% so far this year, meaning that ABG is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

Levi Strauss, however, belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry. Currently, this 39-stock industry is ranked #73. The industry has moved -5.2% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on Asbury Automotive Group and Levi Strauss as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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