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Is Clorox (CLX) Outperforming Other Consumer Staples Stocks This Year?

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The Consumer Staples group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Clorox (CLX - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Staples sector should help us answer this question.

Clorox is a member of the Consumer Staples sector. This group includes 194 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #13. 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 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).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CLX's full-year earnings has moved 20.6% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, CLX has returned 5.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Consumer Staples group have gained about 2.3% on average. As we can see, Clorox is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

General Mills (GIS - Free Report) is another Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 4.9%.

In General Mills' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 0.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Clorox is a member of the Soap and Cleaning Materials industry, which includes 7 individual companies and currently sits at #40 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 8.1% so far this year, so CLX is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

In contrast, General Mills falls under the Food - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this industry has 45 stocks and is ranked #65. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +5.2%.

Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on Clorox and General Mills as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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