For those looking to find strong Construction stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Emcor Group (EME) 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.
Emcor Group is one of 90 companies in the Construction group. The Construction group currently sits at #16 within 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 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. Emcor Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EME's full-year earnings has moved 3% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
According to our latest data, EME has moved about 44.7% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Construction stocks have gained an average of 14.4%. This means that Emcor Group is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another stock in the Construction sector, Knife River (KNF), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 26.4%.
For Knife River, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Emcor Group belongs to the Building Products - Heavy Construction industry, which includes 8 individual stocks and currently sits at #40 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 45.3% so far this year, meaning that EME is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, Knife River belongs to the Building Products - Miscellaneous industry. This 33-stock industry is currently ranked #167. The industry has moved +7.2% year to date.
Investors interested in the Construction sector may want to keep a close eye on Emcor Group and Knife River as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).