Investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Freshpet (FRPT) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

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

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FRPT's full-year earnings has moved 33.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, FRPT has moved about 56.2% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Consumer Staples stocks have gained an average of 8.8%. As we can see, Freshpet is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Henkel AG & Co. (HENKY). The stock is up 13.7% year-to-date.

In Henkel AG & Co.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 6.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Freshpet belongs to the Food - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 46 individual companies and currently sits at #80 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 4.1% so far this year, meaning that FRPT is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Henkel AG & Co. however, belongs to the Soap and Cleaning Materials industry. Currently, this 7-stock industry is ranked #14. The industry has moved +22.2% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on Freshpet and Henkel AG & Co. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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