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Are Oils-Energy Stocks Lagging Imperial Oil (IMO) This Year?

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Investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Imperial Oil (IMO - 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Oils-Energy peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Imperial Oil is one of 254 companies in the Oils-Energy group. The Oils-Energy group currently sits at #1 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. Imperial Oil is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IMO's full-year earnings has moved 32.9% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that IMO has returned about 15.6% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Oils-Energy companies have returned an average of 13.2%. As we can see, Imperial Oil is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Oils-Energy sector, Antero Resources (AR - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 86.8%.

For Antero Resources, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 45.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Imperial Oil is a member of the Oil and Gas - Integrated - Canadian industry, which includes 4 individual companies and currently sits at #1 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 27% so far this year, so IMO is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

In contrast, Antero Resources falls under the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry. Currently, this industry has 40 stocks and is ranked #17. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +21.3%.

Investors interested in the Oils-Energy sector may want to keep a close eye on Imperial Oil and Antero Resources as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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