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Is Alcon (ALC) Stock Outpacing Its Medical Peers This Year?

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Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Alcon (ALC - 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Alcon is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1047 different companies and currently sits at #7 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. Alcon is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALC's full-year earnings has moved 1.3% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, ALC has returned 16.2% so far this year. At the same time, Medical stocks have gained an average of 5.5%. This means that Alcon is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

CalciMedica Inc. (CALC - Free Report) is another Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 88.1%.

In CalciMedica Inc.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 21% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Alcon belongs to the Medical - Instruments industry, a group that includes 92 individual stocks and currently sits at #144 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 9.4% so far this year, meaning that ALC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, CalciMedica Inc. falls under the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. Currently, this industry has 506 stocks and is ranked #84. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -2.5%.

Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track Alcon and CalciMedica Inc. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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