Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Atmos Energy (ATO) This Year?

The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Atmos Energy (ATO) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Utilities peers, we might be able to answer that question.Atmos Energy is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 107 different companies and currently sits at #7 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.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. Atmos Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATO's full-year earnings has moved 2.1% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.According to our latest data, ATO has moved about 10.3% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Utilities sector has returned an average of 9.2% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Atmos Energy is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.Another stock in the Utilities sector, ENGIE - Sponsored ADR (ENGIY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 21.1%.The consensus estimate for ENGIE - Sponsored ADR's current year EPS has increased 3.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, Atmos Energy belongs to the Utility - Gas Distribution industry, which includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #158 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 7.2% so far this year, meaning that ATO is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. On the other hand, ENGIE - Sponsored ADR belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry. This 58-stock industry is currently ranked #91. The industry has moved +10.1% year to date.Atmos Energy and ENGIE - Sponsored ADR could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.#1 Semiconductor Stock to Buy (Not NVDA)The incredible demand for data is fueling the market's next digital gold rush. As data centers continue to be built and constantly upgraded, the companies that provide the hardware for these behemoths will become the NVIDIAs of tomorrow.One under-the-radar chipmaker is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. It specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO): Free Stock Analysis Report ENGIE - Sponsored ADR (ENGIY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks