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Has Kirby (KEX) Outpaced Other Transportation Stocks 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? 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.

Kirby is a member of the Transportation sector. This group includes 135 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #16. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. Kirby is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KEX's full-year earnings has moved 2.8% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, KEX has returned 50.7% so far this year. In comparison, Transportation companies have returned an average of -4%. This means that Kirby is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Matson (MATX - Free Report) is another Transportation stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 19%.

In Matson's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 20% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Kirby is a member of the Transportation - Shipping industry, which includes 43 individual companies and currently sits at #155 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 22.8% so far this year, meaning that KEX is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Matson, however, belongs to the Transportation - Services industry. Currently, this 27-stock industry is ranked #162. The industry has moved -9.8% so far this year.

Kirby and Matson could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Transportation stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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