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Is Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR) Stock Outpacing Its Oils-Energy Peers This Year?

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Investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Petrobras (PBR - 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 Oils-Energy peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Petrobras is a member of our Oils-Energy group, which includes 255 different companies and currently sits at #1 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Petrobras is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for PBR's full-year earnings has moved 2.8% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, PBR has returned 52.7% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Oils-Energy group have gained about 30.9% on average. As we can see, Petrobras is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Oils-Energy stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is APA (APA - Free Report) . The stock has returned 94.9% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, APA's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 28%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Petrobras belongs to the Oil and Gas - Integrated - International industry, which includes 19 individual stocks and currently sits at #11 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 38.7% this year, meaning that PBR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, APA falls under the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry. Currently, this industry has 34 stocks and is ranked #26. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +30.6%.

Investors with an interest in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to track Petrobras and APA. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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