Is AZZ Stock Outpacing Its Industrial Products Peers This Year?

For those looking to find strong Industrial Products stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has AZZ AZZ been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Industrial Products peers, we might be able to answer that question.

AZZ is a member of the Industrial Products sector. This group includes 222 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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 is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. AZZ is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AZZ's full-year earnings has moved 5.8% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, AZZ has gained about 32.8% so far this year. In comparison, Industrial Products companies have returned an average of 3.6%. As we can see, AZZ is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Zebra Technologies ZBRA is another Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 12.5%.

In Zebra Technologies' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 10.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, AZZ belongs to the Manufacturing - Electronics industry, a group that includes 16 individual stocks and currently sits at #18 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 13.6% so far this year, so AZZ is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Zebra Technologies belongs to the Manufacturing - Thermal Products industry. This 4-stock industry is currently ranked #12. The industry has moved +8.6% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Industrial Products stocks should continue to track AZZ and Zebra Technologies. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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