Astronics Corporation (ATRO) appears an attractive pick given a noticeable improvement in the company's earnings outlook. The stock has been a strong performer lately, and the momentum might continue with analysts still raising their earnings estimates for the company.

Analysts' growing optimism on the earnings prospects of this company is driving estimates higher, which should get reflected in its stock price. After all, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. Our stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is principally built on this insight.

The five-grade Zacks Rank system, which ranges from a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record of outperformance, with Zacks #1 Ranked stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 2008.

For Astronics, strong agreement among the covering analysts in revising earnings estimates upward has resulted in meaningful improvement in consensus estimates for the next quarter and full year.

Current-Quarter Estimate Revisions

For the current quarter, the company is expected to earn $0.27 per share, which is a change of +400% from the year-ago reported number.

Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Astronics has increased 28.57% because one estimate has moved higher compared to no negative revisions.

Current-Year Estimate Revisions

The company is expected to earn $1.29 per share for the full year, which represents a change of +18.35% from the prior-year number.

There has been an encouraging trend in estimate revisions for the current year as well. Over the past month, one estimate has moved up for Astronics versus no negative revisions. This has pushed the consensus estimate 17.27% higher.

Favorable Zacks Rank

Thanks to promising estimate revisions, Astronics currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The Zacks Rank is a tried-and-tested rating tool that helps investors effectively harness the power of earnings estimate revisions and make the right investment decision. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Our research shows that stocks with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and 2 (Buy) significantly outperform the S&P 500.

Bottom Line

While strong estimate revisions for Astronics have attracted decent investments and pushed the stock 29.9% higher over the past four weeks, further upside may still be left in the stock. So, you may consider adding it to your portfolio right away.

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

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