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Is Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) Outperforming 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. Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT - 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? 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.

Applied Industrial Technologies is a member of the Industrial Products sector. This group includes 219 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #9. 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. Applied Industrial Technologies is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AIT's full-year earnings has moved 9.9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, AIT has moved about 21.1% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have lost about 15.5% on average. This shows that Applied Industrial Technologies is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Enerpac (EPAC - Free Report) . The stock is up 25.3% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Enerpac's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 9.1%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Applied Industrial Technologies belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, a group that includes 38 individual companies and currently sits at #82 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 15.4% so far this year, so AIT is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Enerpac falls under the Manufacturing - Tools & Related Products industry. Currently, this industry has 6 stocks and is ranked #172. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -42.4%.

Applied Industrial Technologies and Enerpac could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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