Is Costco Wholesale (COST) 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. Costco (COST) 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 Retail-Wholesale sector should help us answer this question.Costco is a member of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group includes 210 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #8. 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. Costco is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for COST's full-year earnings has moved 0.8% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.According to our latest data, COST has moved about 40% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Retail-Wholesale sector has returned an average of 26.9% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Costco is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.Another stock in the Retail-Wholesale sector, Deckers (DECK), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 58.8%.The consensus estimate for Deckers' current year EPS has increased 4.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).Looking more specifically, Costco belongs to the Retail - Discount Stores industry, a group that includes 9 individual stocks and currently sits at #82 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 22.3% so far this year, so COST is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.On the other hand, Deckers belongs to the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry. This 39-stock industry is currently ranked #80. The industry has moved +10.2% year to date.Costco and Deckers could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.Must-See: Solar Stocks Poised to SkyrocketThe solar industry stands to bounce back as tech companies and the economy transition away from fossil fuels to power the AI boom.Trillions of dollars will be invested in clean energy over the coming years – and analysts predict solar will account for 80% of the renewable energy expansion. This creates an outsized opportunity to profit in the near-term and for years to come. But you have to pick the right stocks to get into.Discover Zacks’ hottest solar stock recommendation 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 Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report Deckers Outdoor Corporation (DECK): 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