The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. AptarGroup (ATR) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

AptarGroup is one of 190 individual stocks in the Industrial Products sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #10 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. AptarGroup is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATR's full-year earnings has moved 3.6% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, ATR has gained about 0.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have lost about 0.4% on average. This means that AptarGroup is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, Epiroc Aktiebolag Unsponsored ADR (EPOKY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 17.9%.

In Epiroc Aktiebolag Unsponsored ADR's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 7.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, AptarGroup belongs to the Containers - Paper and Packaging industry, which includes 11 individual stocks and currently sits at #64 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 6.6% so far this year, meaning that ATR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Epiroc Aktiebolag Unsponsored ADR belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry. This 38-stock industry is currently ranked #148. The industry has moved +0.8% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Industrial Products stocks should continue to track AptarGroup and Epiroc Aktiebolag Unsponsored ADR. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

Story Continues

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

AptarGroup, Inc. (ATR):Free Stock Analysis Report

Epiroc Aktiebolag Unsponsored ADR (EPOKY):Free Stock Analysis Report

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

Zacks Investment Research