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Are Transportation Stocks Lagging American Airlines (AAL) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Transportation stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. American Airlines (AAL - 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Transportation sector should help us answer this question.

American Airlines is a member of the Transportation sector. This group includes 132 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #13. 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. American Airlines is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AAL's full-year earnings has moved 48.9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that AAL has returned about 16% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Transportation companies have returned an average of 7.2%. This means that American Airlines is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Transportation stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is FedEx (FDX - Free Report) . The stock has returned 31.9% year-to-date.

For FedEx, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 10.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, American Airlines belongs to the Transportation - Airline industry, a group that includes 29 individual companies and currently sits at #40 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 7.5% this year, meaning that AAL is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, FedEx falls under the Transportation - Air Freight and Cargo industry. Currently, this industry has 4 stocks and is ranked #184. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +16.8%.

Investors interested in the Transportation sector may want to keep a close eye on American Airlines and FedEx as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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