Are Industrial Products Stocks Lagging Astec Industries (ASTE) This Year?

The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Astec Industries (ASTE) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Industrial Products sector should help us answer this question.

Astec Industries is a member of the Industrial Products sector. This group includes 179 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #8. 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 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. Astec Industries is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASTE's full-year earnings has moved 14.5% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, ASTE has moved about 18.9% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of 6.8% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Astec Industries is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Kubota Corp. (KUBTY) is another Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 16.6%.

The consensus estimate for Kubota Corp.'s current year EPS has increased 26.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Astec Industries is a member of the Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry, which includes 6 individual companies and currently sits at #179 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 19.9% so far this year, so ASTE is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

Kubota Corp., however, belongs to the Manufacturing - Farm Equipment industry. Currently, this 6-stock industry is ranked #91. The industry has moved +19.6% so far this year.

Astec Industries and Kubota Corp. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

#1 Semiconductor Stock to Buy (Not NVDA)

The incredible demand for data is fueling the market's next digital gold rush. As data centers continue to be built and constantly upgraded, the companies that provide the hardware for these behemoths will become the NVIDIAs of tomorrow.

One under-the-radar chipmaker is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. It specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.

See This Stock Now for Free >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Astec Industries, Inc. (ASTE): Free Stock Analysis Report

Kubota Corp. (KUBTY): Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research