Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Transportation Stocks Lagging A.P. Moller-Maersk (AMKBY) This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Transportation stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has A.P. Moller-Maersk (AMKBY - 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 Transportation peers, we might be able to answer that question.

A.P. Moller-Maersk is one of 114 companies in the Transportation group. The Transportation group currently sits at #13 within 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 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. A.P. Moller-Maersk is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMKBY's full-year earnings has moved 155.1% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that AMKBY has returned about 53.2% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Transportation stocks have gained an average of 10.6%. This means that A.P. Moller-Maersk is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Expeditors International (EXPD - 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 34%.

Over the past three months, Expeditors International's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 15.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, A.P. Moller-Maersk is a member of the Transportation - Shipping industry, which includes 29 individual companies and currently sits at #47 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 69.5% so far this year, so AMKBY is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Expeditors International, however, belongs to the Transportation - Services industry. Currently, this 21-stock industry is ranked #198. The industry has moved -5.6% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Transportation stocks should continue to track A.P. Moller-Maersk and Expeditors International. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

Published in