The Industrial Products group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. (KWHIY) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. is one of 212 companies in the Industrial Products group. The Industrial Products group currently sits at #12 within 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 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. Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KWHIY's full-year earnings has moved 7.8% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that KWHIY has returned about 77.7% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have gained about 9.8% on average. As we can see, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Pentair plc (PNR). The stock is up 34.8% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Pentair plc's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.6%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. is a member of the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, which includes 42 individual companies and currently sits at #92 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 3.8% so far this year, meaning that KWHIY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Pentair plc belongs to the Manufacturing - Thermal Products industry. This 4-stock industry is currently ranked #11. The industry has moved +32.5% year to date.

Investors interested in the Industrial Products sector may want to keep a close eye on Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and Pentair plc as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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