It's almost the end of 2019 and time to look back and reflect on the strongest-performing industrial stocks of the year. The interesting thing about the top 10 is how diverse they are. Outside of aerospace -- TransDigm, HEICO, and General Electric have heavy exposure -- the recurring theme is that stock selection was key in 2019. It was a year where industrial production growth slowed more than expected, and investors were forced to find niche markets or individual stock stories in order to outperform. Let's take a look at how and why these stocks did so well in 2019.
It's been another strong year for the aerospace industry and particularly for the aftermarket. While it's true that commercial airline passenger growth slowed to 4.2% from 7.4% in 2018, a combination of the Boeing 737 MAX grounding (meaning older planes would have been run more than expected) and an aging worldwide fleet meant that aftermarket revenue remained strong for GE, Heico, and TransDigm.
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