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Is Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPK) Stock Outpacing Its Industrial Products Peers This Year?

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The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Graphic Packaging (GPK - Free Report) 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.

Graphic Packaging is a member of the Industrial Products sector. This group includes 219 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #2. 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 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. Graphic Packaging is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GPK's full-year earnings has moved 6.2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, GPK has returned 11.8% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have lost about 11% on average. This means that Graphic Packaging is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

W.W. Grainger (GWW - Free Report) is another Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 9.5%.

For W.W. Grainger, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 4.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Graphic Packaging belongs to the Containers - Paper and Packaging industry, which includes 11 individual stocks and currently sits at #199 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 1.7% so far this year, so GPK is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, W.W. Grainger belongs to the Industrial Services industry. This 23-stock industry is currently ranked #37. The industry has moved -22.4% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Industrial Products stocks should continue to track Graphic Packaging and W.W. Grainger. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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