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For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Coca-Cola (KO) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Staples sector should help us answer this question.

Coca-Cola is a member of the Consumer Staples sector. This group includes 193 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Coca-Cola is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for KO's full-year earnings has moved 0.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, KO has moved about 1.4% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Consumer Staples stocks have lost an average of 4.9%. This shows that Coca-Cola is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Lifeway Foods (LWAY) is another Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 7.2%.

The consensus estimate for Lifeway Foods' current year EPS has increased 14.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Coca-Cola belongs to the Beverages - Soft drinks industry, a group that includes 16 individual companies and currently sits at #29 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 6.7% this year, meaning that KO is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Lifeway Foods falls under the Food - Dairy Products industry. Currently, this industry has 3 stocks and is ranked #36. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -18.5%.

Investors with an interest in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to track Coca-Cola and Lifeway Foods. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.