Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Clearwater Paper (CLW) Outperforming Other Basic Materials Stocks This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Clearwater Paper (CLW - Free Report) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Clearwater Paper is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 238 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #10. 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Clearwater Paper is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CLW's full-year earnings has moved 13.9% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, CLW has gained about 15.2% so far this year. In comparison, Basic Materials companies have returned an average of -5.9%. This means that Clearwater Paper is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Veritiv . The stock is up 0% year-to-date.

In Veritiv's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 15.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Clearwater Paper belongs to the Paper and Related Products industry, a group that includes 13 individual companies and currently sits at #22 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 12% so far this year, so CLW is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Veritiv is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Basic Materials sector may want to keep a close eye on Clearwater Paper and Veritiv as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Clearwater Paper Corporation (CLW) - free report >>

Published in