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Has Aerie Pharmaceuticals (AERI) Outpaced Other Medical Stocks 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. Aerie Pharmaceuticals 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Medical sector should help us answer this question.

Aerie Pharmaceuticals is one of 758 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #5 within 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. AERI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AERI's full-year earnings has moved 0.64% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, AERI has returned 8.37% so far this year. At the same time, Medical stocks have gained an average of 4.74%. This means that Aerie Pharmaceuticals is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Breaking things down more, AERI is a member of the Medical - Drugs industry, which includes 163 individual companies and currently sits at #162 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 3.59% this year, meaning that AERI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track AERI. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.