Is Athira Pharma, Inc. (ATHA) Outperforming Other Medical Stocks This Year?

For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Athira Pharma, Inc. (ATHA) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Athira Pharma, Inc. is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1158 different companies and currently sits at #11 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 system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Athira Pharma, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATHA's full-year earnings has moved 15.8% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, ATHA has returned 3.7% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Medical group have lost about 4.1% on average. This shows that Athira Pharma, Inc. is outperforming its peers so far this year.

HCA Healthcare (HCA) is another Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 2.6%.

The consensus estimate for HCA Healthcare's current year EPS has increased 1.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Athira Pharma, Inc. belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, a group that includes 538 individual companies and currently sits at #155 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 11% so far this year, meaning that ATHA is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, HCA Healthcare falls under the Medical - Hospital industry. Currently, this industry has 6 stocks and is ranked #38. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +4.6%.

Going forward, investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to Athira Pharma, Inc. and HCA Healthcare as they could maintain their solid performance.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Athira Pharma, Inc. (ATHA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.