For those looking to find strong Transportation stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (OMAB) 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.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte is one of 125 companies in the Transportation group. The Transportation group currently sits at #16 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for OMAB's full-year earnings has moved 4.9% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, OMAB has gained about 29.6% so far this year. At the same time, Transportation stocks have lost an average of 14%. This means that Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Transportation stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Ryanair (RYAAY). The stock is up 9.8% year-to-date.

In Ryanair's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte belongs to the Transportation - Services industry, a group that includes 24 individual companies and currently sits at #157 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 7.2% so far this year, so OMAB is performing better in this area.

In contrast, Ryanair falls under the Transportation - Airline industry. Currently, this industry has 29 stocks and is ranked #170. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -26.1%.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte and Ryanair could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Transportation stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte S.A.B. de C.V. (OMAB) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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

Zacks Investment Research