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Is L.B. Foster (FSTR) Outperforming Other Basic Materials Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. L.B. Foster (FSTR - 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Basic Materials sector should help us answer this question.

L.B. Foster is one of 245 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #2 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 proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. FSTR is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FSTR's full-year earnings has moved 8.24% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, FSTR has gained about 18.27% so far this year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 13.79%. This shows that L.B. Foster is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Breaking things down more, FSTR is a member of the Steel - Producers industry, which includes 24 individual companies and currently sits at #16 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 30.21% so far this year, so FSTR is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors with an interest in Basic Materials stocks should continue to track FSTR. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.


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