Is Matson (MATX) Stock Outpacing Its Transportation Peers This Year?
The Transportation group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Matson (MATX) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Transportation peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Matson is one of 131 companies in the Transportation group. The Transportation group currently sits at #13 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. Matson is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MATX's full-year earnings has moved 6.2% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the most recent data, MATX has returned 31.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Transportation group have gained about 15% on average. As we can see, Matson is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
Another stock in the Transportation sector, Ryanair (RYAAY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 46.3%.
For Ryanair, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 10.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, Matson belongs to the Transportation - Services industry, a group that includes 26 individual companies and currently sits at #181 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 8.9% this year, meaning that MATX is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, Ryanair belongs to the Transportation - Airline industry. This 30-stock industry is currently ranked #49. The industry has moved +36.6% year to date.
Going forward, investors interested in Transportation stocks should continue to pay close attention to Matson and Ryanair as they could maintain their solid performance.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Matson, Inc. (MATX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
