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Is Fuel Tech (FTEK) Outperforming Other Industrial Products Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Industrial Products stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK - 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.

Fuel Tech, Inc. is one of 222 individual stocks in the Industrial Products sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #3 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Fuel Tech, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FTEK's full-year earnings has moved 62.5% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that FTEK has returned about 8.6% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have gained about 8% on average. This shows that Fuel Tech, Inc. is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Chart Industries (GTLS - Free Report) . The stock is up 10.1% year-to-date.

In Chart Industries' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Fuel Tech, Inc. belongs to the Pollution Control industry, which includes 10 individual stocks and currently sits at #82 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 13% so far this year, so FTEK is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Chart Industries belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry. This 44-stock industry is currently ranked #59. The industry has moved +7% year to date.

Fuel Tech, Inc. and Chart Industries could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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