Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Has Acasti Pharma (ACST) Outpaced Other Medical Stocks This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Acasti Pharma (ACST - 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? 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.

Acasti Pharma is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 1171 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. 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. Acasti Pharma is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACST's full-year earnings has moved 8.3% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that ACST has returned about 6.6% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of -4.2% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Acasti Pharma is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Autolus Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR (AUTL - Free Report) . The stock has returned 1.6% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Autolus Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 15.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Acasti Pharma belongs to the Medical - Generic Drugs industry, which includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #70 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 11.6% so far this year, so ACST is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Autolus Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. This 556-stock industry is currently ranked #102. The industry has moved -4.9% year to date.

Acasti Pharma and Autolus Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Acasti Pharma, Inc. (ACST) - free report >>

Autolus Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR (AUTL) - free report >>

Published in