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Is Ardelyx (ARDX) Stock Outpacing Its Medical Peers This Year?

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Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Ardelyx (ARDX - 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.

Ardelyx is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1073 different companies and currently sits at #7 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. Ardelyx is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ARDX's full-year earnings has moved 8.4% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, ARDX has returned 44.7% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of 5.3% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Ardelyx is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is DaVita HealthCare (DVA - Free Report) . The stock has returned 6.5% year-to-date.

For DaVita HealthCare, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 4.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Ardelyx belongs to the Medical - Drugs industry, which includes 191 individual stocks and currently sits at #92 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 0.6% this year, meaning that ARDX is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

DaVita HealthCare, however, belongs to the Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry. Currently, this 18-stock industry is ranked #104. The industry has moved -0.7% so far this year.

Ardelyx and DaVita HealthCare could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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