For those looking to find strong Consumer Discretionary stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Planet Fitness (PLNT) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company’s year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Discretionary sector should help us answer this question.

Planet Fitness is a member of our Consumer Discretionary group, which includes 276 different companies and currently sits at #12 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Planet Fitness is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for PLNT’s full-year earnings has moved 3.4% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company’s earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, PLNT has returned 0.2% so far this year. At the same time, Consumer Discretionary stocks have lost an average of 2.1%. This means that Planet Fitness is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Vista Outdoor (VSTO) is another Consumer Discretionary stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 5.2%.

Over the past three months, Vista Outdoor’s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 29.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Planet Fitness belongs to the Leisure and Recreation Services industry, which includes 30 individual stocks and currently sits at #66 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 1.5% so far this year, so PLNT is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Vista Outdoor belongs to the Leisure and Recreation Products industry. This 23-stock industry is currently ranked #22. The industry has moved -6.7% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to track Planet Fitness and Vista Outdoor. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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