For those looking to find strong Industrial Products stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Belden (BDC) 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.

Belden is one of 218 companies in the Industrial Products group. The Industrial Products group currently sits at #9 within 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. Belden is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BDC's full-year earnings has moved 9.8% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that BDC has returned about 19.1% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of 8.7% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Belden is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another stock in the Industrial Products sector, Bodycote (BYPLF), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 26.3%.

In Bodycote's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 2.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Belden belongs to the Wire and Cable Products industry, which includes 3 individual stocks and currently sits at #213 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 2.5% so far this year, so BDC is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Bodycote belongs to the Manufacturing - Thermal Products industry. This 4-stock industry is currently ranked #20. The industry has moved +18.2% year to date.

Belden and Bodycote could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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