The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (ARQT) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. is one of 1000 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #3 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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. Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ARQT's full-year earnings has moved 49.2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, ARQT has gained about 3.7% so far this year. At the same time, Medical stocks have lost an average of 4.8%. This means that Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Unsponsored ADR (CHGCY) is another Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 31.7%.

The consensus estimate for Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Unsponsored ADR's current year EPS has increased 18.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, which includes 508 individual stocks and currently sits at #79 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 5.8% this year, meaning that ARQT is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Unsponsored ADR, however, belongs to the Medical - Drugs industry. Currently, this 162-stock industry is ranked #59. The industry has moved -2.2% so far this year.

Going forward, investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Unsponsored ADR as they could maintain their solid performance.

Story Continues

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

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