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Is Astronics (ATRO) Outperforming Other Aerospace Stocks This Year?

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Investors interested in Aerospace stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Astronics Corporation (ATRO - 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 Aerospace sector should help us answer this question.

Astronics Corporation is a member of the Aerospace sector. This group includes 48 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #7. 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 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. Astronics Corporation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATRO's full-year earnings has moved 125% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, ATRO has moved about 45.2% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Aerospace stocks have lost an average of 4.2%. This means that Astronics Corporation is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Aerospace sector, VirTra, Inc. (VTSI - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 13.7%.

In VirTra, Inc.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 53.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Astronics Corporation belongs to the Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry, a group that includes 22 individual companies and currently sits at #183 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 1.1% so far this year, meaning that ATRO is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, VirTra, Inc. falls under the Electronics - Military industry. Currently, this industry has 1 stocks and is ranked #1. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +13.7%.

Astronics Corporation and VirTra, Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Aerospace stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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