Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Greif (GEF) 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 Industrial Products sector should help us answer this question.
Greif is a member of the Industrial Products sector. This group includes 189 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #4. 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 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. Greif is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GEF's full-year earnings has moved 7.4% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, GEF has gained about 8.1% so far this year. At the same time, Industrial Products stocks have gained an average of 5.6%. This means that Greif is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, Graham (GHM), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 10.4%.
For Graham, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 12.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Looking more specifically, Greif belongs to the Containers - Paper and Packaging industry, which includes 12 individual stocks and currently sits at #196 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 10.3% so far this year, so GEF is performing better in this area.
On the other hand, Graham belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry. This 41-stock industry is currently ranked #33. The industry has moved +4.3% year to date.
Greif and Graham 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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Greif, Inc. (GEF): Free Stock Analysis Report Graham Corporation (GHM): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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