The Aerospace group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Howmet (HWM) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Aerospace peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Howmet is a member of our Aerospace group, which includes 51 different companies and currently sits at #1 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. Howmet is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HWM's full-year earnings has moved 1.6% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, HWM has moved about 2.1% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Aerospace companies have returned an average of -0.1%. As we can see, Howmet is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Aerospace sector, Mercury Systems (MRCY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 1%.

Over the past three months, Mercury Systems' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 72.9%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Howmet belongs to the Aerospace - Defense industry, which includes 24 individual stocks and currently sits at #164 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 10.4% so far this year, so HWM is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Mercury Systems falls under the Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry. Currently, this industry has 26 stocks and is ranked #26. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +32.4%.

Investors with an interest in Aerospace stocks should continue to track Howmet and Mercury Systems. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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