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Are Industrial Products Stocks Lagging Belden (BDC) This Year?

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Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Belden (BDC - 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.

Belden is one of 218 individual stocks in the Industrial Products sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #2 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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. Belden is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BDC's full-year earnings has moved 6.4% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that BDC has returned about 20.7% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Industrial Products companies have returned an average of 4.4%. This means that Belden is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, Graphic Packaging (GPK - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 14.6%.

The consensus estimate for Graphic Packaging's current year EPS has increased 8.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Belden belongs to the Wire and Cable Products industry, which includes 3 individual stocks and currently sits at #3 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 23.7% so far this year, so BDC is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

Graphic Packaging, however, belongs to the Containers - Paper and Packaging industry. Currently, this 11-stock industry is ranked #67. The industry has moved +1.3% so far this year.

Going forward, investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to Belden and Graphic Packaging as they could maintain their solid performance.


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