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Is AnheuserBusch InBev (BUD) Stock Outpacing Its Consumer Staples Peers This Year?

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The Consumer Staples group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Anheuser-Busch Inbev (BUD - 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 Consumer Staples peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Anheuser-Busch Inbev is a member of the Consumer Staples sector. This group includes 185 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #16. 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 is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Anheuser-Busch Inbev is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BUD's full-year earnings has moved 1.2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, BUD has moved about 21.8% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Consumer Staples group have gained about 6.7% on average. As we can see, Anheuser-Busch Inbev is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Consumer Staples sector, DSM Firmenich AG - Sponsored ADR (DSFIY - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 38.6%.

In DSM Firmenich AG - Sponsored ADR's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 7.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Anheuser-Busch Inbev belongs to the Beverages - Alcohol industry, a group that includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #106 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 11.5% so far this year, meaning that BUD is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, DSM Firmenich AG - Sponsored ADR belongs to the Cosmetics industry. This 8-stock industry is currently ranked #187. The industry has moved -6.4% year to date.

Anheuser-Busch Inbev and DSM Firmenich AG - Sponsored ADR could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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