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Is J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) Outperforming Other Transportation Stocks This Year?

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Investors interested in Transportation stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is JB Hunt (JBHT - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Transportation peers, we might be able to answer that question.

JB Hunt is a member of the Transportation sector. This group includes 110 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #2. 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 proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. JB Hunt is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for JBHT's full-year earnings has moved 6.7% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, JBHT has moved about 33.9% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Transportation group have gained about 9.7% on average. This means that JB Hunt is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Landstar System (LSTR - Free Report) is another Transportation stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 21.6%.

For Landstar System, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 4.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, JB Hunt belongs to the Transportation - Truck industry, a group that includes 12 individual companies and currently sits at #23 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 25.7% so far this year, so JBHT is performing better in this area. Landstar System is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Transportation sector may want to keep a close eye on JB Hunt and Landstar System as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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