Are Medical Stocks Lagging Encompass Health (EHC) This Year?

Company Overview - Encompass Health (EHC) is a stock within the Medical sector, which includes 1000 individual stocks and holds a Zacks Sector Rank of 3 [2] - EHC currently has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating a favorable outlook based on earnings estimate revisions [3] Performance Analysis - Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EHC's full-year earnings has increased by 0.9%, reflecting improved analyst sentiment [4] - EHC has gained approximately 4.1% year-to-date, significantly outperforming the average return of -7.4% for Medical companies [4] - In the Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry, which includes 17 companies, EHC is performing better than the average loss of 5.9% this year [6] Comparative Analysis - Heron Therapeutics (HRTX), another Medical stock, has returned 26.1% year-to-date and has a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) [5] - HRTX belongs to the Medical - Drugs industry, which has 162 stocks and has experienced a decline of -7.4% since the beginning of the year [7] - Both Encompass Health and Heron Therapeutics are noted for their solid performance, making them attractive options for investors in the Medical sector [7]