Investors interested in Construction stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Babcock International Group PLC (BCKIY) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Construction peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Babcock International Group PLC is a member of our Construction group, which includes 92 different companies and currently sits at #16 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. Babcock International Group PLC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BCKIY's full-year earnings has moved 2.6% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the latest available data, BCKIY has gained about 13.6% so far this year. At the same time, Construction stocks have gained an average of 7%. This shows that Babcock International Group PLC is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Simpson Manufacturing (SSD) is another Construction stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 14.6%.
For Simpson Manufacturing, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Babcock International Group PLC belongs to the Engineering - R and D Services industry, which includes 19 individual stocks and currently sits at #48 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 22.5% this year, meaning that BCKIY is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.
Simpson Manufacturing, however, belongs to the Building Products - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this 34-stock industry is ranked #186. The industry has moved -0.9% so far this year.
Babcock International Group PLC and Simpson Manufacturing could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Construction stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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Babcock International Group PLC (BCKIY): Free Stock Analysis Report Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc. (SSD): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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