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Are Industrial Products Stocks Lagging Belden (BDC) This Year?

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The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Belden (BDC - 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 Industrial Products sector should help us answer this question.

Belden is a member of our Industrial Products group, which includes 219 different companies and currently sits at #8 in 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 is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Belden is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BDC's full-year earnings has moved 4.9% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, BDC has gained about 17.7% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of -11% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Belden is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Industrial Products stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Hubbell (HUBB - Free Report) . The stock has returned 17.8% year-to-date.

In Hubbell's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 6.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Belden belongs to the Wire and Cable Products industry, a group that includes 2 individual stocks and currently sits at #3 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 4.9% this year, meaning that BDC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Hubbell, however, belongs to the Manufacturing - Electrical Utilities industry. Currently, this 1-stock industry is ranked #1. The industry has moved +19.9% so far this year.

Going forward, investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to Belden and Hubbell as they could maintain their solid performance.


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