Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Alcoa (AA) Stock Outpacing Its Industrial Products Peers This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Alcoa (AA - 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 Industrial Products sector should help us answer this question.

Alcoa is one of 218 individual stocks in the Industrial Products sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 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 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. Alcoa is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AA's full-year earnings has moved 570.2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, AA has moved about 15.6% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of 7% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Alcoa is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, Chart Industries (GTLS - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 18.2%.

In Chart Industries' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 1.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Alcoa belongs to the Metal Products - Distribution industry, a group that includes 3 individual stocks and currently sits at #36 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 9.5% so far this year, so AA is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Chart Industries belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry. This 44-stock industry is currently ranked #49. The industry has moved +7.4% year to date.

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Alcoa (AA) - free report >>

Chart Industries, Inc. (GTLS) - free report >>

Published in