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Is National Fuel Gas Company (NFG) Outperforming Other Oils-Energy Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is National Fuel Gas (NFG - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Oils-Energy sector should help us answer this question.

National Fuel Gas is one of 240 individual stocks in the Oils-Energy sector. Collectively, these companies sit 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 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. National Fuel Gas is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NFG's full-year earnings has moved 0.7% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, NFG has gained about 44.1% so far this year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 5.1%. As we can see, National Fuel Gas is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Oils-Energy sector, Enbridge (ENB - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 15.9%.

The consensus estimate for Enbridge's current year EPS has increased 3.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, National Fuel Gas is a member of the Oil and Gas - Integrated - United States industry, which includes 15 individual companies and currently sits at #164 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 7% this year, meaning that NFG is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Enbridge belongs to the Oil and Gas - Production and Pipelines industry. This 10-stock industry is currently ranked #58. The industry has moved +8.7% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to pay close attention to National Fuel Gas and Enbridge as they could maintain their solid performance.


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