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Has Hershey (HSY) Outpaced Other Consumer Staples Stocks This Year?

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Investors focused on the Consumer Staples space have likely heard of Hershey (HSY - Free Report) , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of HSY and the rest of the Consumer Staples group's stocks.

Hershey is one of 179 individual stocks in the Consumer Staples sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #11 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. HSY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HSY's full-year earnings has moved 0.64% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that HSY has returned about 42.50% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Consumer Staples sector has returned an average of 18.10% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Hershey is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Breaking things down more, HSY is a member of the Food - Confectionery industry, which includes 3 individual companies and currently sits at #13 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 39.50% so far this year, so HSY is performing better in this area.

Investors with an interest in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to track HSY. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.


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