Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Evergy (EVRG) This Year?

The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Evergy Inc (EVRG) 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 Utilities sector should help us answer this question.

Evergy Inc is a member of the Utilities sector. This group includes 111 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #12. 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 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. Evergy Inc is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EVRG's full-year earnings has moved 0% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that EVRG has returned about 15.1% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Utilities stocks have gained an average of 3.1%. This shows that Evergy Inc is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Utilities stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Global Water Resources, Inc. (GWRS). The stock is up 3.8% year-to-date.

For Global Water Resources, Inc., the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 12.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Evergy Inc is a member of the Utility - Electric Power industry, which includes 63 individual companies and currently sits at #146 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 4.1% so far this year, meaning that EVRG is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Global Water Resources, Inc. falls under the Utility - Water Supply industry. Currently, this industry has 9 stocks and is ranked #103. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +4%.

Evergy Inc and Global Water Resources, Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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Source Zacks-com