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Are Computer and Technology Stocks Lagging Applied Materials (AMAT) This Year?

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The Computer and Technology group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Applied Materials (AMAT - 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 Computer and Technology sector should help us answer this question.

Applied Materials is one of 628 individual stocks in the Computer and Technology sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Applied Materials is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMAT's full-year earnings has moved 7.6% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that AMAT has returned about 38.5% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Computer and Technology sector has returned an average of 35.2% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Applied Materials is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Alphabet Inc. (GOOG - Free Report) is another Computer and Technology stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 57.9%.

For Alphabet Inc. the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Applied Materials belongs to the Semiconductor Equipment - Wafer Fabrication industry, which includes 4 individual stocks and currently sits at #100 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 22.7% so far this year, so AMAT is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Alphabet Inc. belongs to the Internet - Services industry. This 41-stock industry is currently ranked #65. The industry has moved +54.1% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to track Applied Materials and Alphabet Inc. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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