Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Hawkins (HWKN) Stock Outpacing Its Basic Materials Peers This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Hawkins (HWKN - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? 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.

Hawkins is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 243 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #4. 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 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. Hawkins is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HWKN's full-year earnings has moved 11.4% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that HWKN has returned about 9% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of 1.8% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Hawkins is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is The Andersons (ANDE - Free Report) . The stock is up 2.9% year-to-date.

For The Andersons, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 40.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Hawkins belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry, a group that includes 36 individual stocks and currently sits at #143 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 15.4% so far this year, so HWKN is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, The Andersons belongs to the Agriculture - Products industry. This 7-stock industry is currently ranked #209. The industry has moved +2.3% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to Hawkins and The Andersons as they could maintain their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


The Andersons, Inc. (ANDE) - free report >>

Hawkins, Inc. (HWKN) - free report >>

Published in