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Are Medical Stocks Lagging Cardinal Health (CAH) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Cardinal Health (CAH - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Cardinal Health is one of 915 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 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 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. Cardinal Health is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CAH's full-year earnings has moved 6.8% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, CAH has gained about 32.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of 8.4% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Cardinal Health 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 Addus HomeCare (ADUS - Free Report) . The stock has returned 15.8% year-to-date.

For Addus HomeCare, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Cardinal Health belongs to the Medical - Dental Supplies industry, which includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #56 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 19.7% so far this year, so CAH is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Addus HomeCare belongs to the Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry. This 14-stock industry is currently ranked #72. The industry has moved +31.8% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track Cardinal Health and Addus HomeCare. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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