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Is Belden (BDC) Stock Outpacing Its Industrial Products Peers This Year?

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The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. 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 companies in the Industrial Products group. The Industrial Products group currently sits at #11 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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 #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BDC's full-year earnings has moved 4.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, BDC has moved about 26.4% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Industrial Products companies have returned an average of 4.1%. This means that Belden is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, Ferguson plc (FERG - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 5.2%.

In Ferguson plc's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 1.2% 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 #233 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 18.2% so far this year, meaning that BDC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Ferguson plc falls under the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry. Currently, this industry has 44 stocks and is ranked #179. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +4.4%.

Belden and Ferguson plc could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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