Is ESCO Technologies (ESE) Stock Outpacing Its Industrial Products Peers This Year?
The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Esco Technologies (ESE) one of those stocks right now? 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.
Esco Technologies is a member of the Industrial Products sector. This group includes 215 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #9. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.
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. Esco Technologies is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ESE's full-year earnings has moved 2.8% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
According to our latest data, ESE has moved about 15.2% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of 2.2% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Esco Technologies is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
Ferguson plc (FERG) is another Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 25.9%.
Over the past three months, Ferguson plc's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.7%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Esco Technologies is a member of the Manufacturing - Electronics industry, which includes 16 individual companies and currently sits at #97 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 11.1% this year, meaning that ESE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Ferguson plc, however, belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry. Currently, this 41-stock industry is ranked #59. The industry has moved +5.3% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Industrial Products sector may want to keep a close eye on Esco Technologies and Ferguson plc as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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ESCO Technologies Inc. (ESE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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