Is Lowe's (LOW) Outperforming Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year?

The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Lowe's (LOW) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Retail-Wholesale peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Lowe's is a member of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group includes 220 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. 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. Lowe's is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for LOW's full-year earnings has moved 5.8% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, LOW has gained about 56.5% so far this year. In comparison, Retail-Wholesale companies have returned an average of -8%. This shows that Lowe's is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Retail-Wholesale stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Penske Automotive (PAG). The stock has returned 74.5% year-to-date.

In Penske Automotive's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 12.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Lowe's belongs to the Building Products - Retail industry, a group that includes 9 individual stocks and currently sits at #17 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 52.1% this year, meaning that LOW is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Penske Automotive belongs to the Automotive - Retail and Whole Sales industry. This 9-stock industry is currently ranked #42. The industry has moved +38.2% year to date.

Lowe's and Penske Automotive could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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