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Is Jacobs Engineering Group (JEC) Stock Outpacing Its Construction Peers This Year?

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Investors focused on the Construction space have likely heard of Jacobs Engineering Group , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? 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.

Jacobs Engineering Group is a member of the Construction sector. This group includes 99 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #6. 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 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. JEC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for JEC's full-year earnings has moved 3% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that JEC has returned about 10.39% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Construction companies have returned an average of -6.86%. As we can see, Jacobs Engineering Group is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Looking more specifically, JEC belongs to the Engineering - R and D Services industry, a group that includes 12 individual stocks and currently sits at #229 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 6.83% so far this year, so JEC is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Going forward, investors interested in Construction stocks should continue to pay close attention to JEC as it looks to continue its solid performance.