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Are Oils-Energy Stocks Lagging Ecopetrol (EC) This Year?

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The Oils-Energy group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Ecopetrol (EC - 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.

Ecopetrol is a member of the Oils-Energy sector. This group includes 240 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #1. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Ecopetrol is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EC's full-year earnings has moved 46.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, EC has gained about 49.6% so far this year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 32.7%. This shows that Ecopetrol is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Enerflex (EFXT - Free Report) . The stock is up 35.6% year-to-date.

In Enerflex's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 20.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Ecopetrol belongs to the Oil and Gas - Integrated - International industry, which includes 16 individual stocks and currently sits at #17 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 39.7% so far this year, so EC is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Enerflex belongs to the Alternative Energy - Other industry. This 51-stock industry is currently ranked #81. The industry has moved +14% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to track Ecopetrol and Enerflex. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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