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Has Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (AMPH) Outpaced Other Medical Stocks This Year?

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The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (AMPH - 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 Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 1186 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #10. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMPH's full-year earnings has moved 13.2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, AMPH has moved about 46% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Medical stocks have lost an average of 15.2%. This shows that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Patterson Cos. (PDCO - Free Report) . The stock has returned 2.7% year-to-date.

In Patterson Cos.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals belongs to the Medical - Generic Drugs industry, a group that includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #196 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 32.8% this year, meaning that AMPH is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Patterson Cos. falls under the Medical - Dental Supplies industry. Currently, this industry has 21 stocks and is ranked #192. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -12.5%.

Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals and Patterson Cos. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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