Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHVYF) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is one of 213 individual stocks in the Industrial Products sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #14 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MHVYF's full-year earnings has moved 1.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, MHVYF has gained about 162.1% so far this year. In comparison, Industrial Products companies have returned an average of 13%. This shows that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Industrial Products stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Northwest Pipe Co. (NWPX). The stock is up 77.9% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Northwest Pipe Co.'s current year EPS has increased 12.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is a member of the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, which includes 42 individual companies and currently sits at #132 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 17.8% this year, meaning that MHVYF is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Northwest Pipe Co. belongs to the Metal Products - Procurement and Fabrication industry. This 12-stock industry is currently ranked #81. The industry has moved +43.2% year to date.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Northwest Pipe Co. 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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