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Is Hormel Foods (HRL) Outperforming Other Consumer Staples Stocks 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. Hormel Foods (HRL - 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? 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.

Hormel Foods is a member of our Consumer Staples group, which includes 191 different companies and currently sits at #13 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 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. Hormel Foods is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HRL's full-year earnings has moved 1.2% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, HRL has returned 9.5% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Staples companies have returned an average of -3.5%. This means that Hormel Foods is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Consumer Staples sector, Coca-Cola FEMSA (KOF - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 1.3%.

Over the past three months, Coca-Cola FEMSA's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Hormel Foods belongs to the Food - Meat Products industry, a group that includes 5 individual companies and currently sits at #2 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 12.3% this year, meaning that HRL is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

Coca-Cola FEMSA, however, belongs to the Beverages - Soft drinks industry. Currently, this 15-stock industry is ranked #39. The industry has moved -8% so far this year.

Hormel Foods and Coca-Cola FEMSA could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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