Is Associated British Foods (ASBFY) Stock Outpacing Its Consumer Staples Peers This Year?

Group 1 - Associated British Foods PLC (ASBFY) is currently outperforming its peers in the Consumer Staples sector with a year-to-date return of approximately 5.7%, compared to the sector average of 3.1% [4] - The Zacks Rank for ASBFY is 2 (Buy), indicating a positive earnings outlook and improving analyst sentiment, as the consensus estimate for its full-year earnings has increased by 1.1% in the past quarter [3][4] - ASBFY is part of the Food - Miscellaneous industry, which has seen an average loss of about 6.8% this year, further highlighting ASBFY's relative strength within its industry [6] Group 2 - Celsius Holdings Inc. (CELH) is another strong performer in the Consumer Staples sector, with a year-to-date return of 119.5% and a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) [5] - The consensus estimate for CELH's current year EPS has increased by 33.5% over the past three months, indicating strong growth potential [5] - Both ASBFY and CELH are positioned well within the Consumer Staples sector, suggesting continued solid performance for investors to monitor [7]