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Are Consumer Staples Stocks Lagging Clorox (CLX) This Year?

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Investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Clorox (CLX - 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 Consumer Staples peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Clorox is a member of our Consumer Staples group, which includes 194 different companies and currently sits at #14 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CLX's full-year earnings has moved 22.2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, CLX has moved about 9.2% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Consumer Staples group have gained about 1.6% on average. This shows that Clorox is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is WD-40 (WDFC - Free Report) . The stock is up 5.8% year-to-date.

For WD-40, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Clorox belongs to the Soap and Cleaning Materials industry, which includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #28 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 8.6% so far this year, so CLX is performing better in this area.

In contrast, WD-40 falls under the Consumer Products - Staples industry. Currently, this industry has 31 stocks and is ranked #155. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -4%.

Investors with an interest in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to track Clorox and WD-40. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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