The Consumer Staples group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Ingredion (INGR) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Staples peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Ingredion is a member of our Consumer Staples group, which includes 183 different companies and currently sits at #10 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. Ingredion is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for INGR's full-year earnings has moved 2.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that INGR has returned about 26.6% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Consumer Staples companies have returned an average of 9%. This shows that Ingredion is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Consumer Staples stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Kerry Group PLC (KRYAY). The stock has returned 18.1% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Kerry Group PLC's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Ingredion belongs to the Food - Miscellaneous industry, which includes 46 individual stocks and currently sits at #102 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 4% this year, meaning that INGR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Kerry Group PLC is also part of the same industry.

Ingredion and Kerry Group PLC could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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Ingredion Incorporated (INGR) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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