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Are Medical Stocks Lagging Arch Therapeutics (ARTH) 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. Arch Therapeutics, Inc. (ARTH - 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.

Arch Therapeutics, Inc. is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1087 different companies and currently sits at #1 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. Arch Therapeutics, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ARTH's full-year earnings has moved 71.2% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, ARTH has moved about 61.5% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of -7.6%. This means that Arch Therapeutics, Inc. 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 Cardinal Health (CAH - Free Report) . The stock is up 37.7% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Cardinal Health's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Arch Therapeutics, Inc. belongs to the Medical - Instruments industry, a group that includes 94 individual stocks and currently sits at #63 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 5.2% so far this year, so ARTH is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Cardinal Health, however, belongs to the Medical - Dental Supplies industry. Currently, this 16-stock industry is ranked #157. The industry has moved +10.1% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track Arch Therapeutics, Inc. and Cardinal Health. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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