For those looking to find strong Construction stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Comfort Systems (FIX) 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 Construction sector should help us answer this question.
Comfort Systems is one of 92 individual stocks in the Construction sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #15 in 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 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. Comfort Systems is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FIX's full-year earnings has moved 18.2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Our latest available data shows that FIX has returned about 116.6% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Construction companies have returned an average of 3.5%. As we can see, Comfort Systems is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
Another Construction stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is M-tron Industries, Inc. (MPTI). The stock has returned 9.9% year-to-date.
The consensus estimate for M-tron Industries, Inc.'s current year EPS has increased 3.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Comfort Systems belongs to the Building Products - Air Conditioner and Heating industry, which includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #75 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 4.7% this year, meaning that FIX is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, M-tron Industries, Inc. belongs to the Engineering - R and D Services industry. This 15-stock industry is currently ranked #81. The industry has moved +6.4% year to date.
Comfort Systems and M-tron Industries, Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Construction stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (FIX): Free Stock Analysis Report M-tron Industries, Inc. (MPTI): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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