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Has Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) Outpaced Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year?

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The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? 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 190 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. 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 proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Abercrombie & Fitch is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ANF's full-year earnings has moved 7.5% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, ANF has returned 15.4% so far this year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of -1.1%. As we can see, Abercrombie & Fitch is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Ross Stores (ROST - Free Report) . The stock has returned 28.1% year-to-date.

In Ross Stores' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 5.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Abercrombie & Fitch is a member of the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry, which includes 39 individual companies and currently sits at #89 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 17.8% so far this year, meaning that ANF is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Ross Stores falls under the Retail - Discount Stores industry. Currently, this industry has 7 stocks and is ranked #30. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +4.1%.

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

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