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Is PG&E (PCG) Stock Outpacing Its Utilities Peers This Year?

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The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has PG&E (PCG - 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 Utilities peers, we might be able to answer that question.

PG&E is a member of the Utilities sector. This group includes 105 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #2. 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. PG&E is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for PCG's full-year earnings has moved 0.5% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that PCG has returned about 13.9% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Utilities companies have returned an average of -13.3%. As we can see, PG&E is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Utilities stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is South Jersey Industries . The stock is up 29.1% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, South Jersey Industries' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.1%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, PG&E belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, a group that includes 58 individual companies and currently sits at #67 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 13.4% this year, meaning that PCG is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

South Jersey Industries, however, belongs to the Utility - Gas Distribution industry. Currently, this 15-stock industry is ranked #34. The industry has moved -0.4% so far this year.

PG&E and South Jersey Industries could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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