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Are Medical Stocks Lagging Edwards Lifesciences (EW) This Year?

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The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Edwards Lifesciences (EW - 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.

Edwards Lifesciences is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 1062 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #4. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EW's full-year earnings has moved 0.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, EW has returned 23% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of 6.7% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Edwards Lifesciences is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Medical sector, Avinger (AVGR - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 8.5%.

The consensus estimate for Avinger's current year EPS has increased 8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Edwards Lifesciences belongs to the Medical - Instruments industry, a group that includes 91 individual stocks and currently sits at #72 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 7.9% so far this year, so EW is performing better in this area. Avinger is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Edwards Lifesciences and Avinger as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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