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Are Computer and Technology Stocks Lagging Microsoft (MSFT) 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. Has Microsoft (MSFT - 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.

Microsoft is a member of the Computer and Technology sector. This group includes 622 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #6. 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. Microsoft is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MSFT's full-year earnings has moved 4.5% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, MSFT has moved about 13.1% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Computer and Technology group have gained about 11.6% on average. This means that Microsoft is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Computer and Technology sector, AppFolio (APPF - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 28.7%.

In AppFolio's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 49.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Microsoft belongs to the Computer - Software industry, a group that includes 36 individual stocks and currently sits at #45 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 12.6% so far this year, so MSFT is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, AppFolio falls under the Internet - Software industry. Currently, this industry has 145 stocks and is ranked #41. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +17.7%.

Microsoft and AppFolio could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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