Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Telecom Italia (TIIAY) This Year?

For those looking to find strong Utilities stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Telecom Italia (TIIAY) 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 Utilities peers, we might be able to answer that question.Telecom Italia is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 110 different companies and currently sits at #12 in 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 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. Telecom Italia is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TIIAY's full-year earnings has moved 7.7% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.Our latest available data shows that TIIAY has returned about 36.6% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Utilities sector has returned an average of 5.7% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Telecom Italia is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.One other Utilities stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Tele2 (TLTZY). The stock is up 13.1% year-to-date.For Tele2, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 84.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).Looking more specifically, Telecom Italia belongs to the Diversified Communication Services industry, a group that includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #181 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 1.7% so far this year, so TIIAY is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Tele2, however, belongs to the Wireline Non-US industry. Currently, this 4-stock industry is ranked #29. The industry has moved +3.6% so far this year.Investors with an interest in Utilities stocks should continue to track Telecom Italia and Tele2. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks