Is Fuel Tech (FTEK) Stock Outpacing Its Industrial Products Peers This Year?

The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK) 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? 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.Fuel Tech, Inc. is a member of our Industrial Products group, which includes 189 different companies and currently sits at #4 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 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. Fuel Tech, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FTEK's full-year earnings has moved 16.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.Our latest available data shows that FTEK has returned about 190.5% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of 6.9% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Fuel Tech, Inc. is outperforming its peers so far this year.Helios Technologies (HLIO) is another Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 13.2%.The consensus estimate for Helios Technologies' current year EPS has increased 34.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).To break things down more, Fuel Tech, Inc. belongs to the Pollution Control industry, a group that includes 7 individual companies and currently sits at #28 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 3.6% this year, meaning that FTEK is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. In contrast, Helios Technologies falls under the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry. Currently, this industry has 41 stocks and is ranked #33. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +7.2%.Investors interested in the Industrial Products sector may want to keep a close eye on Fuel Tech, Inc. and Helios Technologies as they attempt to continue their solid performance.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>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 Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK): Free Stock Analysis Report Helios Technologies, Inc (HLIO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks