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Are Industrial Products Stocks Lagging Mueller Water Products (MWA) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Industrial Products stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Mueller Water Products (MWA - 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Industrial Products peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Mueller Water Products is a member of our Industrial Products group, which includes 218 different companies and currently sits at #11 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Mueller Water Products is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MWA's full-year earnings has moved 17.7% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, MWA has moved about 39.1% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of 4.2% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Mueller Water Products is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Industrial Products stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Northwest Pipe Co. (NWPX - Free Report) . The stock has returned 35% year-to-date.

In Northwest Pipe Co.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 14.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Mueller Water Products belongs to the Steel - Pipe and Tube industry, a group that includes 4 individual companies and currently sits at #219 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 8.1% this year, meaning that MWA is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Northwest Pipe Co. belongs to the Metal Products - Procurement and Fabrication industry. This 11-stock industry is currently ranked #175. The industry has moved +11.6% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Industrial Products stocks should continue to track Mueller Water Products and Northwest Pipe Co. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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