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Has SP Plus (SP) Outpaced Other Consumer Discretionary Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Consumer Discretionary stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is SP Plus (SP - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.

SP Plus is one of 284 companies in the Consumer Discretionary group. The Consumer Discretionary group currently sits at #12 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. SP Plus is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for SP's full-year earnings has moved 2.1% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, SP has gained about 1% so far this year. At the same time, Consumer Discretionary stocks have lost an average of 37%. This shows that SP Plus is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Consumer Discretionary stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is TAL Education (TAL - Free Report) . The stock has returned 22.4% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for TAL Education's current year EPS has increased 21.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, SP Plus belongs to the Consumer Services - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 14 individual companies and currently sits at #177 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 22% this year, meaning that SP is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, TAL Education belongs to the Schools industry. This 18-stock industry is currently ranked #100. The industry has moved -12.2% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to pay close attention to SP Plus and TAL Education as they could maintain their solid performance.


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