Is A. O. Smith (AOS) Outperforming Other Industrial Products Stocks This Year?
Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has A.O. Smith (AOS) been one of those stocks this year? 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.
A.O. Smith is a member of the Industrial Products sector. This group includes 219 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #1. 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 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. A.O. Smith is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AOS' full-year earnings has moved 4.3% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the most recent data, AOS has returned 16.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of -0.4% on a year-to-date basis. This means that A.O. Smith is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, Esco Technologies (ESE), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 0.5%.
Over the past three months, Esco Technologies' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.6%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, A.O. Smith belongs to the Manufacturing - Electronics industry, a group that includes 16 individual companies and currently sits at #60 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 1.8% this year, meaning that AOS is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Esco Technologies is also part of the same industry.
Investors interested in the Industrial Products sector may want to keep a close eye on A.O. Smith and Esco Technologies as they attempt to continue 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
A. O. Smith Corporation (AOS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
ESCO Technologies Inc. (ESE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
