Investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Grand Canyon Education (LOPE) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Grand Canyon Education is a member of the Consumer Discretionary sector. This group includes 280 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Grand Canyon Education is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LOPE's full-year earnings has moved 2.3% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, LOPE has moved about 7.4% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Consumer Discretionary companies have returned an average of 0.4%. This means that Grand Canyon Education is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Consumer Discretionary stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Makita Corp. (MKTAY). The stock has returned 19.3% year-to-date.

In Makita Corp.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 3.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Grand Canyon Education belongs to the Schools industry, which includes 18 individual stocks and currently sits at #53 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 0.7% this year, meaning that LOPE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Makita Corp. belongs to the Tools - Handheld industry. This 3-stock industry is currently ranked #29. The industry has moved -3.6% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to pay close attention to Grand Canyon Education and Makita Corp. as they could maintain their solid performance.

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