For those looking to find strong Industrial Products stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. IHI CORP (IHICY) 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Industrial Products peers, we might be able to answer that question.

IHI CORP is one of 213 companies in the Industrial Products group. The Industrial Products group currently sits at #13 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. IHI CORP is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for IHICY's full-year earnings has moved 34.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, IHICY has moved about 184.6% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of 19.4% on a year-to-date basis. This means that IHI CORP is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Industrial Products stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Kadant (KAI). The stock has returned 41.2% year-to-date.

For Kadant, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, IHI CORP belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, a group that includes 42 individual stocks and currently sits at #138 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 17.6% so far this year, meaning that IHICY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Kadant is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Industrial Products sector may want to keep a close eye on IHI CORP and Kadant as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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