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Is Ulta Beauty (ULTA) Outperforming Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year?

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Investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Ulta Beauty (ULTA - 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 Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Ulta Beauty is a member of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group includes 183 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #10. 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Ulta Beauty is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ULTA's full-year earnings has moved 0.6% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that ULTA has returned about 3.4% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Retail-Wholesale group have lost about 0.3% on average. This means that Ulta Beauty is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector, Williams-Sonoma (WSM - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 40%.

The consensus estimate for Williams-Sonoma's current year EPS has increased 1.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Ulta Beauty belongs to the Retail - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #47 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 12.8% so far this year, so ULTA is performing better in this area.

Williams-Sonoma, however, belongs to the Retail - Home Furnishings industry. Currently, this 10-stock industry is ranked #104. The industry has moved -8.9% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to track Ulta Beauty and Williams-Sonoma. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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