Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Mission Produce (AVO) Outperforming Other Consumer Staples Stocks This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Mission Produce, Inc. (AVO - 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 Consumer Staples sector should help us answer this question.

Mission Produce, Inc. is one of 185 individual stocks in the Consumer Staples sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #16 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. Mission Produce, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AVO's full-year earnings has moved 13.3% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that AVO has returned about 12.2% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Consumer Staples companies have returned an average of 8.1%. This shows that Mission Produce, Inc. is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Sysco (SYY - Free Report) . The stock is up 12.9% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Sysco's current year EPS has increased 2.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Mission Produce, Inc. is a member of the Agriculture - Operations industry, which includes 11 individual companies and currently sits at #168 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 26.7% this year, meaning that AVO is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Sysco falls under the Food - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this industry has 45 stocks and is ranked #212. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +0.8%.

Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on Mission Produce, Inc. and Sysco as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

Published in