Investors interested in Aerospace stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Astronics Corporation (ATRO) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Aerospace peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Astronics Corporation is one of 68 individual stocks in the Aerospace sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #3 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 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. Astronics Corporation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATRO's full-year earnings has moved 5.1% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Our latest available data shows that ATRO has returned about 41.9% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Aerospace sector has returned an average of 9.2% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Astronics Corporation is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
Another stock in the Aerospace sector, MTU Aero Engines AG (MTUAY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 12.5%.
The consensus estimate for MTU Aero Engines AG's current year EPS has increased 14.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
To break things down more, Astronics Corporation belongs to the Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry, a group that includes 37 individual companies and currently sits at #57 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 7.5% so far this year, so ATRO is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, MTU Aero Engines AG falls under the Aerospace - Defense industry. Currently, this industry has 30 stocks and is ranked #146. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +9.8%.
Astronics Corporation and MTU Aero Engines AG could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Aerospace stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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Astronics Corporation (ATRO): Free Stock Analysis Report MTU Aero Engines AG (MTUAY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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