Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) Stock Outpacing Its Retail-Wholesale Peers This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Retail-Wholesale stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF - 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.

Abercrombie & Fitch is a member of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group includes 209 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #9. 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Abercrombie & Fitch is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ANF's full-year earnings has moved 25% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, ANF has gained about 61.3% so far this year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of 11.6%. This shows that Abercrombie & Fitch is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Walmart (WMT - Free Report) . The stock has returned 32.8% year-to-date.

For Walmart, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Abercrombie & Fitch belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry, a group that includes 40 individual companies and currently sits at #189 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 6.6% this year, meaning that ANF is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Walmart falls under the Retail - Supermarkets industry. Currently, this industry has 9 stocks and is ranked #14. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +31.8%.

Investors with an interest in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to track Abercrombie & Fitch and Walmart. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Walmart Inc. (WMT) - free report >>

Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF) - free report >>

Published in