For those looking to find strong Transportation stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Expeditors International (EXPD) 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Transportation sector should help us answer this question.
Expeditors International is one of 99 companies in the Transportation group. The Transportation group currently sits at #3 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 is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Expeditors International is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EXPD's full-year earnings has moved 11.6% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Our latest available data shows that EXPD has returned about 10.5% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Transportation companies have returned an average of 10.5%.
Kirby (KEX) is another Transportation stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 26.7%.
The consensus estimate for Kirby's current year EPS has increased 2.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Expeditors International is a member of the Transportation - Services industry, which includes 19 individual companies and currently sits at #77 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 1.9% so far this year, so EXPD is performing better in this area.
Kirby, however, belongs to the Transportation - Shipping industry. Currently, this 22-stock industry is ranked #49. The industry has moved +38.8% so far this year.
Investors with an interest in Transportation stocks should continue to track Expeditors International and Kirby. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD): Free Stock Analysis Report
Kirby Corporation (KEX): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).