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Is United Airlines (UAL) Stock Outpacing Its Transportation Peers This Year?

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Investors interested in Transportation stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has United Airlines (UAL - Free Report) 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 Transportation sector should help us answer this question.

United Airlines is a member of the Transportation sector. This group includes 135 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #10. 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 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. United Airlines is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UAL's full-year earnings has moved 6.2% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, UAL has returned 117.6% so far this year. In comparison, Transportation companies have returned an average of 4.8%. As we can see, United Airlines is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Transportation stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB - Free Report) . The stock is up 56.7% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies' current year EPS has increased 2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, United Airlines belongs to the Transportation - Airline industry, which includes 31 individual stocks and currently sits at #14 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 35.4% so far this year, so UAL is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies, however, belongs to the Transportation - Equipment and Leasing industry. Currently, this 9-stock industry is ranked #18. The industry has moved +47.3% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Transportation stocks should continue to track United Airlines and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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