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Are Industrial Products Stocks Lagging ESCO Technologies (ESE) 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. Is Esco Technologies (ESE - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? 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.

Esco Technologies is a member of the Industrial Products sector. This group includes 219 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #6. 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 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. Esco Technologies is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ESE's full-year earnings has moved 7% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that ESE has returned about 3.4% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have lost about 11% on average. This means that Esco Technologies is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is H&E Equipment (HEES - Free Report) . The stock is up 1% year-to-date.

For H&E Equipment, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 17.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Esco Technologies belongs to the Manufacturing - Electronics industry, a group that includes 17 individual companies and currently sits at #97 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 13.6% so far this year, meaning that ESE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, H&E Equipment belongs to the Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry. This 7-stock industry is currently ranked #15. The industry has moved +11.2% year to date.

Investors interested in the Industrial Products sector may want to keep a close eye on Esco Technologies and H&E Equipment as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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