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Is Harsco (HSC) Stock Outpacing Its Industrial Products Peers This Year?

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Investors focused on the Industrial Products space have likely heard of Harsco , 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 Industrial Products peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Harsco is one of 208 companies in the Industrial Products group. The Industrial Products group currently sits at #7 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. HSC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HSC's full-year earnings has moved 2.50% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, HSC has gained about 51.74% so far this year. In comparison, Industrial Products companies have returned an average of -4.22%. This shows that Harsco is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Looking more specifically, HSC belongs to the Industrial Services industry, a group that includes 15 individual stocks and currently sits at #205 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 27.72% so far this year, so HSC is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

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