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Are Medical Stocks Lagging Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (CPRX) 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. Catalyst Pharmaceutical (CPRX - 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.

Catalyst Pharmaceutical is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 1187 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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 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. Catalyst Pharmaceutical is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CPRX's full-year earnings has moved 2.3% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, CPRX has returned 116.4% so far this year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of -17.3%. This shows that Catalyst Pharmaceutical is outperforming its peers so far this year.

DICE Therapeutics, Inc. is another Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 32.9%.

Over the past three months, DICE Therapeutics, Inc.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 10.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Catalyst Pharmaceutical is a member of the Medical - Drugs industry, which includes 218 individual companies and currently sits at #89 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 29.3% so far this year, so CPRX is performing better in this area.

In contrast, DICE Therapeutics, Inc. falls under the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. Currently, this industry has 562 stocks and is ranked #61. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -17.8%.

Going forward, investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to Catalyst Pharmaceutical and DICE Therapeutics, Inc. as they could maintain their solid performance.


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