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Is Babcock International Group (BCKIY) Outperforming Other Construction Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Construction stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Babcock International Group PLC (BCKIY - 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 Construction peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Babcock International Group PLC is one of 87 individual stocks in the Construction sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #12 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. Babcock International Group PLC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BCKIY's full-year earnings has moved 12.4% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, BCKIY has moved about 142.7% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Construction sector has returned an average of 2.7% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Babcock International Group PLC is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Construction sector, Heidelberg Materials AG Unsponsored ADR (HDLMY - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 94.8%.

In Heidelberg Materials AG Unsponsored ADR's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 3.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Babcock International Group PLC is a member of the Engineering - R and D Services industry, which includes 17 individual companies and currently sits at #198 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 9.3% so far this year, so BCKIY is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Heidelberg Materials AG Unsponsored ADR falls under the Building Products - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this industry has 29 stocks and is ranked #90. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -2.8%.

Going forward, investors interested in Construction stocks should continue to pay close attention to Babcock International Group PLC and Heidelberg Materials AG Unsponsored ADR as they could maintain their solid performance.


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