Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Duke Energy (DUK) This Year?

Investors interested in Utilities stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Duke Energy (DUK) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.Duke Energy is a member of the Utilities sector. This group includes 110 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. 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. Duke Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for DUK's full-year earnings has moved 0% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.Our latest available data shows that DUK has returned about 7.2% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Utilities stocks have gained an average of 6.9%. This shows that Duke Energy is outperforming its peers so far this year.One other Utilities stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR (ELPC). The stock is up 23.3% year-to-date.Over the past three months, Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 267.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).To break things down more, Duke Energy belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, a group that includes 60 individual companies and currently sits at #149 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 7.4% so far this year, so DUK is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR is also part of the same industry.Investors with an interest in Utilities stocks should continue to track Duke Energy and Companhia Paranaense de Energia - Copel Unsponsored ADR. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.9% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks