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Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR (ELPC) This Year?

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The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR (ELPC - 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 Utilities sector should help us answer this question.

Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 112 different companies and currently sits at #8 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ELPC's full-year earnings has moved 17.6% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, ELPC has gained about 7.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Utilities sector has returned an average of 1.5% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Utilities stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Evergy Inc (EVRG - Free Report) . The stock has returned 17.9% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Evergy Inc's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, a group that includes 63 individual companies and currently sits at #106 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 2.5% so far this year, meaning that ELPC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Evergy Inc is also part of the same industry.

Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR and Evergy Inc could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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