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Is Fastenal (FAST) Outperforming Other Industrial Products Stocks This Year?

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The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Fastenal (FAST - 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 Industrial Products peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Fastenal is one of 186 individual stocks in the Industrial Products sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Fastenal is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FAST's full-year earnings has moved 2% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that FAST has returned about 27.7% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Industrial Products companies have returned an average of 20.4%. This means that Fastenal is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Kubota Corp. (KUBTY - Free Report) is another Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 20.5%.

Over the past three months, Kubota Corp.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 37.7%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Fastenal is a member of the Industrial Services industry, which includes 16 individual companies and currently sits at #200 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 12.6% so far this year, meaning that FAST is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Kubota Corp. belongs to the Manufacturing - Farm Equipment industry. This 6-stock industry is currently ranked #102. The industry has moved +25.5% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Industrial Products stocks should continue to track Fastenal and Kubota Corp.. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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