Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Lindsay (LNN) 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.

Lindsay is a member of the Industrial Products sector. This group includes 200 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #13. 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. Lindsay is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for LNN's full-year earnings has moved 6.5% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that LNN has returned about 9.3% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have lost about 4.5% on average. This means that Lindsay is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Industrial Products stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Middleby (MIDD). The stock has returned 13.3% year-to-date.

For Middleby, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Lindsay is a member of the Manufacturing - Farm Equipment industry, which includes 7 individual companies and currently sits at #84 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 12.9% so far this year, meaning that LNN is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Middleby belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry. This 39-stock industry is currently ranked #152. The industry has moved -4.5% year to date.

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

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