Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Entergy (ETR) This Year?

Investors interested in Utilities stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Entergy (ETR) 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 Utilities peers, we might be able to answer that question.Entergy is one of 104 companies in the Utilities group. The Utilities group currently sits at #8 within 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 system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Entergy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ETR's full-year earnings has moved 0.4% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.Based on the latest available data, ETR has gained about 9.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Utilities sector has returned an average of 1.5% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Entergy is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.Another stock in the Utilities sector, Exelon (EXC), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 14%.In Exelon's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 0.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, Entergy belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, a group that includes 60 individual stocks and currently sits at #144 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 2.6% so far this year, so ETR is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Exelon is also part of the same industry.Entergy and Exelon could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant 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 Entergy Corporation (ETR): Free Stock Analysis Report Exelon Corporation (EXC): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks