The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Mueller Water Products (MWA) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Industrial Products sector should help us answer this question.
Mueller Water Products is one of 213 companies in the Industrial Products group. The Industrial Products group currently sits at #12 within 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. Mueller Water Products is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MWA's full-year earnings has moved 2.9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the latest available data, MWA has gained about 77.6% so far this year. In comparison, Industrial Products companies have returned an average of 23.2%. As we can see, Mueller Water Products is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
One other Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Packaging Corp. (PKG). The stock is up 50.3% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Packaging Corp.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Breaking things down more, Mueller Water Products is a member of the Steel - Pipe and Tube industry, which includes 4 individual companies and currently sits at #175 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 21.2% so far this year, so MWA is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, Packaging Corp. belongs to the Containers - Paper and Packaging industry. This 11-stock industry is currently ranked #198. The industry has moved +21.7% year to date.
Investors interested in the Industrial Products sector may want to keep a close eye on Mueller Water Products and Packaging Corp. as they attempt 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.
