Is A. O. Smith (AOS) Outperforming Other Industrial Products Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Industrial Products stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. A.O. Smith (AOS) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? 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.

A.O. Smith is a member of our Industrial Products group, which includes 216 different companies and currently sits at #13 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. A.O. Smith is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AOS' full-year earnings has moved 5% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that AOS has returned about 36.3% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Industrial Products companies have returned an average of 7.9%. As we can see, A.O. Smith is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Apogee Enterprises (APOG) is another Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 8.1%.

The consensus estimate for Apogee Enterprises' current year EPS has increased 6.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, A.O. Smith is a member of the Manufacturing - Electronics industry, which includes 16 individual companies and currently sits at #84 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 17.3% so far this year, so AOS is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Apogee Enterprises belongs to the Glass Products industry. This 6-stock industry is currently ranked #43. The industry has moved -7.9% year to date.

Investors interested in the Industrial Products sector may want to keep a close eye on A.O. Smith and Apogee Enterprises as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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