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Is McKesson (MCK) Outperforming Other Medical Stocks This Year?

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The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. McKesson (MCK - 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

McKesson is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 916 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. 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. McKesson is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MCK's full-year earnings has moved 1% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, MCK has moved about 11% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of 0.1%. This means that McKesson is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Avantor, Inc. (AVTR - Free Report) . The stock has returned 33.9% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Avantor, Inc.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.9%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, McKesson belongs to the Medical - Dental Supplies industry, a group that includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #107 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 3.8% so far this year, so MCK is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Avantor, Inc., however, belongs to the Medical Services industry. Currently, this 70-stock industry is ranked #103. The industry has moved +3.4% so far this year.

McKesson and Avantor, Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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