Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Ferguson plc (FERG) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Ferguson plc is one of 179 companies in the Industrial Products group. The Industrial Products group currently sits at #7 within 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 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. Ferguson plc is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FERG's full-year earnings has moved 1.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the latest available data, FERG has gained about 19% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have gained about 18.5% on average. This means that Ferguson plc is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, Gorman-Rupp (GRC), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 35.4%.
The consensus estimate for Gorman-Rupp's current year EPS has increased 3.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, Ferguson plc belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, a group that includes 43 individual companies and currently sits at #68 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 16.8% so far this year, so FERG is performing better in this area. Gorman-Rupp is also part of the same industry.
Ferguson plc and Gorman-Rupp could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Ferguson plc (FERG): Free Stock Analysis Report Gorman-Rupp Company (The) (GRC): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
