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Are Transportation Stocks Lagging Kirby (KEX) 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. Has Kirby (KEX - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Kirby is a member of the Transportation sector. This group includes 135 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #14. 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. Kirby is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KEX's full-year earnings has moved 2% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, KEX has returned 53.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Transportation sector has returned an average of -2.1% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Kirby is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Transportation stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Matson (MATX - Free Report) . The stock has returned 20.6% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Matson's current year EPS has increased 18.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Kirby belongs to the Transportation - Shipping industry, which includes 43 individual stocks and currently sits at #74 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 25.1% so far this year, so KEX is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Matson belongs to the Transportation - Services industry. This 27-stock industry is currently ranked #169. The industry has moved -9.3% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Transportation stocks should continue to track Kirby and Matson. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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