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Has AutoNation (AN) Outpaced Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year?

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Investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is AutoNation (AN - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

AutoNation is one of 221 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. AutoNation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AN's full-year earnings has moved 5.9% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, AN has gained about 23.5% so far this year. At the same time, Retail-Wholesale stocks have gained an average of 6.6%. This means that AutoNation is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 21.6%.

In Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 2.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, AutoNation is a member of the Automotive - Retail and Whole Sales industry, which includes 9 individual companies and currently sits at #22 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 14.5% this year, meaning that AN is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store belongs to the Retail - Restaurants industry. This 40-stock industry is currently ranked #45. The industry has moved +10.5% year to date.

Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on AutoNation and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (CBRL) - free report >>

AutoNation, Inc. (AN) - free report >>

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