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Is Knife River Corporation (KNF) Outperforming Other Construction Stocks This Year?

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Investors interested in Construction stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Knife River (KNF - Free Report) 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.

Knife River is one of 95 companies in the Construction group. The Construction group currently sits at #1 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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. Knife River is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KNF's full-year earnings has moved 5.6% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that KNF has returned about 15.1% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Construction group have gained about 10.2% on average. This shows that Knife River is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another stock in the Construction sector, Louisiana-Pacific (LPX - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 24.4%.

Over the past three months, Louisiana-Pacific's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 31.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Knife River is a member of the Building Products - Miscellaneous industry, which includes 28 individual companies and currently sits at #45 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 10.9% so far this year, meaning that KNF is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Louisiana-Pacific belongs to the Building Products - Wood industry. This 11-stock industry is currently ranked #63. The industry has moved -1.8% year to date.

Knife River and Louisiana-Pacific could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Construction stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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