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Are Transportation Stocks Lagging Delta Air Lines (DAL) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Transportation stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Delta Air Lines (DAL - 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 Transportation peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Delta Air Lines is a member of our Transportation group, which includes 131 different companies and currently sits at #13 in 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 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. Delta Air Lines is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for DAL's full-year earnings has moved 17.1% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, DAL has gained about 41.5% so far this year. At the same time, Transportation stocks have gained an average of 13.6%. This means that Delta Air Lines is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Transportation sector, Eneti , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 33.4%.

In Eneti's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 84.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Delta Air Lines belongs to the Transportation - Airline industry, which includes 30 individual stocks and currently sits at #42 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 34% this year, meaning that DAL is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Eneti belongs to the Transportation - Shipping industry. This 38-stock industry is currently ranked #196. The industry has moved +3.4% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Transportation stocks should continue to track Delta Air Lines and Eneti. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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