Has International Business Machines (IBM) Outpaced Other Computer and Technology Stocks This Year?

The Computer and Technology group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has IBM (IBM) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Computer and Technology peers, we might be able to answer that question.

IBM is a member of the Computer and Technology sector. This group includes 621 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #2. 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 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. IBM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IBM's full-year earnings has moved 2.1% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, IBM has gained about 43.3% so far this year. At the same time, Computer and Technology stocks have gained an average of 25.9%. This means that IBM is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

HashiCorp, Inc. (HCP) is another Computer and Technology stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 43.5%.

For HashiCorp, Inc. the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 40.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, IBM belongs to the Computer - Integrated Systems industry, a group that includes 10 individual companies and currently sits at #63 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 80.5% so far this year, meaning that IBM is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, HashiCorp, Inc. falls under the Internet - Software industry. Currently, this industry has 143 stocks and is ranked #69. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +25.7%.

Investors interested in the Computer and Technology sector may want to keep a close eye on IBM and HashiCorp, Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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