Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Murata Manufacturing Inc. (MRAAY) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Industrial Products peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Murata Manufacturing Inc. is one of 186 individual stocks in the Industrial Products sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Murata Manufacturing Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MRAAY's full-year earnings has moved 13.7% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
According to our latest data, MRAAY has moved about 121.9% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Industrial Products stocks have gained an average of 21%. This means that Murata Manufacturing Inc. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, MSC Industrial (MSM), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 42.8%.
For MSC Industrial, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Murata Manufacturing Inc. belongs to the Manufacturing - Electronics industry, a group that includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #84 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 35.1% so far this year, meaning that MRAAY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
MSC Industrial, however, belongs to the Industrial Services industry. Currently, this 16-stock industry is ranked #168. The industry has moved +12.7% so far this year.
Murata Manufacturing Inc. and MSC Industrial could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).