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Is Amazon.com (AMZN) Stock Outpacing Its Retail-Wholesale Peers This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Retail-Wholesale stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Amazon is one of 218 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #8 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMZN's full-year earnings has moved 5.9% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, AMZN has gained about 2.2% so far this year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of 0%. This means that Amazon is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector, Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 15.5%.

Over the past three months, Abercrombie & Fitch's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 36.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Amazon belongs to the Internet - Commerce industry, a group that includes 40 individual stocks and currently sits at #81 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 0.8% so far this year, so AMZN is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Abercrombie & Fitch belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry. This 42-stock industry is currently ranked #98. The industry has moved -0.3% year to date.

Investors interested in the Retail-Wholesale sector may want to keep a close eye on Amazon and Abercrombie & Fitch as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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