Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Has MSC (MSM) Outpaced Other Industrial Products Stocks This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has MSC Industrial (MSM - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Industrial Products peers, we might be able to answer that question.

MSC Industrial is a member of our Industrial Products group, which includes 181 different companies and currently sits at #4 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 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. MSC Industrial is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MSM's full-year earnings has moved 0.7% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, MSM has gained about 33% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of 12.5% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that MSC Industrial is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, Sandvik AB (SDVKY - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 23.7%.

The consensus estimate for Sandvik AB's current year EPS has increased 12.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, MSC Industrial belongs to the Industrial Services industry, a group that includes 16 individual stocks and currently sits at #153 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 4.4% so far this year, so MSM is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Sandvik AB belongs to the Manufacturing - Tools & Related Products industry. This 8-stock industry is currently ranked #169. The industry has moved +1.9% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to MSC Industrial and Sandvik AB as they could maintain their solid performance.

Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)

Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.

Click Here, It's Really Free

Published in