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Are Medical Stocks Lagging Bayer (BAYRY) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (BAYRY - 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.

Bayer Aktiengesellschaft is one of 975 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #6 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. Bayer Aktiengesellschaft is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BAYRY's full-year earnings has moved 9.9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that BAYRY has returned about 69.9% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Medical group have lost about 1.8% on average. As we can see, Bayer Aktiengesellschaft is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is BioLife Solutions, Inc. (BLFS - Free Report) . The stock has returned 1% year-to-date.

For BioLife Solutions, Inc., the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 150% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Bayer Aktiengesellschaft belongs to the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry, which includes 10 individual stocks and currently sits at #159 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 0.8% this year, meaning that BAYRY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, BioLife Solutions, Inc. belongs to the Medical - Products industry. This 84-stock industry is currently ranked #146. The industry has moved +8.1% year to date.

Bayer Aktiengesellschaft and BioLife Solutions, Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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