The Conglomerates group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Sumitomo Corp. (SSUMY) 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 Conglomerates peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Sumitomo Corp. is a member of our Conglomerates group, which includes 24 different companies and currently sits at #4 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Sumitomo Corp. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for SSUMY's full-year earnings has moved 1.4% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that SSUMY has returned about 6.9% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Conglomerates stocks have lost an average of 6.8%. This means that Sumitomo Corp. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Conglomerates stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Vector Group (VGR). The stock has returned 34.5% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Vector Group's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 5.2%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Sumitomo Corp. belongs to the Diversified Operations industry, a group that includes 24 individual stocks and currently sits at #69 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 6.8% so far this year, meaning that SSUMY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Vector Group is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Conglomerates sector may want to keep a close eye on Sumitomo Corp. and Vector Group as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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Sumitomo Corp. (SSUMY):Free Stock Analysis Report

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