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Has Hershey (HSY) Outpaced Other Consumer Staples Stocks This Year?

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The Consumer Staples group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Hershey (HSY - 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.

Hershey is a member of the Consumer Staples sector. This group includes 194 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #13. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HSY's full-year earnings has moved 1.3% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, HSY has moved about 13.2% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Consumer Staples companies have returned an average of 0.5%. This means that Hershey is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Consumer Staples sector, Sysco (SYY - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 8.6%.

For Sysco, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 6.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Hershey belongs to the Food - Confectionery industry, which includes 3 individual stocks and currently sits at #20 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 95.3% so far this year, so HSY is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

Sysco, however, belongs to the Food - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this 48-stock industry is ranked #99. The industry has moved -2.1% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to track Hershey and Sysco. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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