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Has Alcon (ALC) Outpaced Other Medical Stocks 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. Alcon (ALC - 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.

Alcon is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1114 different companies and currently sits at #7 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. Alcon is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALC's full-year earnings has moved 4.4% 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, ALC has returned 22% so far this year. At the same time, Medical stocks have lost an average of 3.2%. This means that Alcon is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is RxSight, Inc. (RXST - Free Report) . The stock is up 132% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for RxSight, Inc.'s current year EPS has increased 10.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Alcon belongs to the Medical - Instruments industry, a group that includes 96 individual companies and currently sits at #97 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 3.4% so far this year, so ALC is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. RxSight, Inc. is also part of the same industry.

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


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