Is United States Steel (X) Outperforming Other Basic Materials Stocks This Year?
The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. United States Steel (X) 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? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of X and the rest of the Basic Materials group's stocks.
United States Steel is a member of our Basic Materials group, which includes 245 different companies and currently sits at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. X is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for X's full-year earnings has moved 101.54% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the latest available data, X has gained about 70.90% so far this year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 25.78%. This means that United States Steel is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Looking more specifically, X belongs to the Steel - Producers industry, which includes 24 individual stocks and currently sits at #21 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 54.09% so far this year, meaning that X is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Investors with an interest in Basic Materials stocks should continue to track X. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.
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