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Is Bellicum Pharmaceuticals (BLCM) Outperforming Other Medical Stocks This Year?

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The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Bellicum Pharmaceuticals one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Medical sector should help us answer this question.

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 1172 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #6. 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. Bellicum Pharmaceuticals is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLCM's full-year earnings has moved 19.5% 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, BLCM has returned 30.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Medical group have lost about 3.8% on average. This shows that Bellicum Pharmaceuticals is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Castle Biosciences, Inc. (CSTL - Free Report) . The stock is up 3.5% year-to-date.

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

Looking more specifically, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals belongs to the Medical - Drugs industry, a group that includes 217 individual stocks and currently sits at #104 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 2.6% so far this year, meaning that BLCM is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Castle Biosciences, Inc. however, belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. Currently, this 557-stock industry is ranked #95. The industry has moved -4.2% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Bellicum Pharmaceuticals and Castle Biosciences, Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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