Is Central Japan Railway Co. (CJPRY) Stock Outpacing Its Transportation Peers This Year?

Investors interested in Transportation stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Central Japan Railway Co. (CJPRY) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Transportation peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Central Japan Railway Co. is a member of our Transportation group, which includes 122 different companies and currently sits at #13 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 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. Central Japan Railway Co. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CJPRY's full-year earnings has moved 9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, CJPRY has returned 14.1% so far this year. In comparison, Transportation companies have returned an average of -7.4%. This means that Central Japan Railway Co. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Transportation stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Copa Holdings (CPA). The stock has returned 18.1% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Copa Holdings' current year EPS has increased 6.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Central Japan Railway Co. is a member of the Transportation - Rail industry, which includes 9 individual companies and currently sits at #52 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 2% so far this year, so CJPRY is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Copa Holdings, however, belongs to the Transportation - Airline industry. Currently, this 27-stock industry is ranked #41. The industry has moved -10.7% so far this year.

Central Japan Railway Co. and Copa Holdings could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Transportation stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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