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Has Peabody Energy (BTU) Outpaced Other Oils-Energy Stocks 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. Peabody Energy (BTU - 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.

Peabody Energy is a member of our Oils-Energy group, which includes 254 different companies and currently sits at #1 in 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Peabody Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BTU's full-year earnings has moved 19.2% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that BTU has returned about 126.5% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Oils-Energy companies have returned an average of 23.4%. This means that Peabody Energy is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Equinor (EQNR - Free Report) is another Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 40.2%.

For Equinor, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 14.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Peabody Energy is a member of the Coal industry, which includes 8 individual companies and currently sits at #12 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 71.6% this year, meaning that BTU is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Equinor belongs to the Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry. This 16-stock industry is currently ranked #4. The industry has moved +26.6% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to pay close attention to Peabody Energy and Equinor as they could maintain their solid performance.


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