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Is Salesforce (CRM) Stock Outpacing Its Computer and Technology Peers This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Computer and Technology stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Salesforce.com (CRM - 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 Computer and Technology peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Salesforce.com is one of 622 companies in the Computer and Technology group. The Computer and Technology group currently sits at #6 within 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Salesforce.com is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRM's full-year earnings has moved 2.5% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that CRM has returned about 19.6% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Computer and Technology sector has returned an average of 10.8% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Salesforce.com is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

CyberArk (CYBR - 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 20.9%.

Over the past three months, CyberArk's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 12.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Salesforce.com belongs to the Computer - Software industry, a group that includes 36 individual stocks and currently sits at #52 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 10.6% this year, meaning that CRM is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, CyberArk falls under the Computers - IT Services industry. Currently, this industry has 39 stocks and is ranked #66. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +12.8%.

Going forward, investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to Salesforce.com and CyberArk as they could maintain their solid performance.


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