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Are Medical Stocks Lagging Acadia Healthcare (ACHC) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Acadia Healthcare (ACHC - 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 Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Acadia Healthcare is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1187 different companies and currently sits at #2 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. Acadia Healthcare is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACHC's full-year earnings has moved 0.7% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, ACHC has gained about 31.3% so far this year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of -19.6%. As we can see, Acadia Healthcare is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Liquidia Technologies, Inc. (LQDA - Free Report) . The stock is up 1.2% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Liquidia Technologies, Inc.'s current year EPS has increased 14.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Acadia Healthcare belongs to the Medical - Hospital industry, a group that includes 5 individual companies and currently sits at #166 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 20.8% so far this year, so ACHC is performing better in this area.

In contrast, Liquidia Technologies, Inc. falls under the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. Currently, this industry has 562 stocks and is ranked #57. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -23.6%.

Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track Acadia Healthcare and Liquidia Technologies, Inc. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (ACHC) - free report >>

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