Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Transportation Stocks Lagging American Airlines (AAL) This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Transportation stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. American Airlines (AAL - 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

American Airlines is one of 133 individual stocks in the Transportation sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #9 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 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. American Airlines is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AAL's full-year earnings has moved 36.1% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, AAL has gained about 11.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Transportation group have gained about 2.6% on average. This means that American Airlines is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Transportation stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM - Free Report) . The stock is up 23.5% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 148.7%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, American Airlines belongs to the Transportation - Airline industry, a group that includes 32 individual companies and currently sits at #38 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 3.9% so far this year, so AAL is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services belongs to the Transportation - Shipping industry. This 37-stock industry is currently ranked #101. The industry has moved +7.6% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Transportation stocks should continue to pay close attention to American Airlines and ZIM Integrated Shipping Services as they could maintain their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) - free report >>

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (ZIM) - free report >>

Published in