Has Coca-Cola (KO) Outpaced Other Consumer Staples Stocks This Year?

Group 1 - Coca-Cola has outperformed the Consumer Staples sector with a year-to-date return of approximately 15.1%, compared to the sector's average gain of 6.3% [4] - The Zacks Rank for Coca-Cola is currently 2 (Buy), indicating a positive earnings outlook with a 0.3% increase in the consensus estimate for full-year earnings over the past quarter [3] - Coca-Cola belongs to the Beverages - Soft drinks industry, which has an average gain of 8.1% this year, further highlighting its strong performance within its specific industry [5] Group 2 - Unilever PLC, another stock in the Consumer Staples sector, has a year-to-date return of 8.4% and also holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) with a 0.2% increase in its consensus EPS estimate over the past three months [4][5] - The Beverages - Soft drinks industry, which includes Coca-Cola, is ranked 163 in the Zacks Industry Rank, while Unilever falls under the Consumer Products - Staples industry, ranked 156, which has seen a decline of -1.7% since the beginning of the year [5][6]