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Is SpartanNash (SPTN) Stock Outpacing Its Retail-Wholesale Peers This Year?

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The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Spartan Stores (SPTN - 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 Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Spartan Stores is one of 227 companies in the Retail-Wholesale group. The Retail-Wholesale group currently sits at #4 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Spartan Stores is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SPTN's full-year earnings has moved 2.8% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, SPTN has returned 43.2% so far this year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of -28.6%. This means that Spartan Stores is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector, TravelCenters of America , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 1.2%.

Over the past three months, TravelCenters of America's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 19.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Spartan Stores belongs to the Food - Natural Foods Products industry, which includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #158 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 6% so far this year, so SPTN is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, TravelCenters of America belongs to the Retail - Convenience Stores industry. This 2-stock industry is currently ranked #6. The industry has moved +17% year to date.

Spartan Stores and TravelCenters of America could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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