The Computer and Technology group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. ATN International (ATNI) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Computer and Technology peers, we might be able to answer that question.

ATN International is one of 608 individual stocks in the Computer and Technology sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #8 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. ATN International is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATNI's full-year earnings has moved 74.7% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that ATNI has returned about 6.4% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Computer and Technology companies have returned an average of -11.2%. As we can see, ATN International is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Computer and Technology stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Spotify (SPOT). The stock has returned 33.6% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Spotify's current year EPS has increased 20.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, ATN International belongs to the Wireless National industry, a group that includes 10 individual stocks and currently sits at #70 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 9.7% so far this year, meaning that ATNI is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

Spotify, however, belongs to the Internet - Software industry. Currently, this 168-stock industry is ranked #143. The industry has moved -5.8% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to track ATN International and Spotify. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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