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Has Greif (GEF) Outpaced Other Industrial Products Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Industrial Products stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Greif (GEF - 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 Industrial Products sector should help us answer this question.

Greif is one of 224 companies in the Industrial Products group. The Industrial Products group currently sits at #7 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. Greif is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GEF's full-year earnings has moved 5% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, GEF has returned 1.2% so far this year. At the same time, Industrial Products stocks have lost an average of 6.9%. As we can see, Greif is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Norsk Hydro ASA (NHYDY - Free Report) . The stock is up 22.2% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Norsk Hydro ASA's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 59.7%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Greif belongs to the Containers - Paper and Packaging industry, a group that includes 12 individual companies and currently sits at #102 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 0.2% so far this year, meaning that GEF is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Norsk Hydro ASA, however, belongs to the Metal Products - Procurement and Fabrication industry. Currently, this 12-stock industry is ranked #102. The industry has moved -0.8% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Industrial Products sector may want to keep a close eye on Greif and Norsk Hydro ASA as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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