Has Southwest Airlines (LUV) Outpaced Other Transportation Stocks This Year?

Investors interested in Transportation stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Southwest Airlines (LUV) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.Southwest Airlines is a member of the Transportation sector. This group includes 114 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #2. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.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. Southwest Airlines is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for LUV's full-year earnings has moved 57.3% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.Based on the latest available data, LUV has gained about 15.5% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Transportation sector has returned an average of 13.6% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Southwest Airlines is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.Another stock in the Transportation sector, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 22.2%.For Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, Southwest Airlines belongs to the Transportation - Airline industry, a group that includes 24 individual stocks and currently sits at #31 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 4.7% this year, meaning that LUV is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. On the other hand, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies belongs to the Transportation - Equipment and Leasing industry. This 10-stock industry is currently ranked #74. The industry has moved +10.7% year to date.Going forward, investors interested in Transportation stocks should continue to pay close attention to Southwest Airlines and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies as they could maintain their solid performance.Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI ExplosionThe next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives.Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains.But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies.Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.Access AI Boom 2.0 now, absolutely free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV): Free Stock Analysis Report Wabtec (WAB): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks