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Are Transportation Stocks Lagging Delta Air Lines (DAL) This Year?

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The Transportation group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Delta Air Lines (DAL - 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? 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.

Delta Air Lines is a member of the Transportation sector. This group includes 136 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 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. Delta Air Lines is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DAL's full-year earnings has moved 9.3% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, DAL has moved about 16.3% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Transportation companies have returned an average of -11.6%. This shows that Delta Air Lines is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Transportation stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Frontline (FRO - Free Report) . The stock is up 16.3% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Frontline's current year EPS has increased 24.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Delta Air Lines belongs to the Transportation - Airline industry, a group that includes 29 individual companies and currently sits at #50 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 8% so far this year, so DAL is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Frontline falls under the Transportation - Shipping industry. Currently, this industry has 41 stocks and is ranked #27. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +28%.

Investors with an interest in Transportation stocks should continue to track Delta Air Lines and Frontline. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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