MRC Global Inc. (MRC) shares soared 6.7% in the last trading session to close at $9.54. The move was backed by solid volume with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This compares to the stock's 20.1% loss over the past four weeks.MRC Global’s rally is largely driven by optimism regarding the company’s strength in its business in the gas utility sector, supported by increasing customer activity. It is likely to become more competent in lucrative contract wins and projects.This energy products distributor is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.22 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +175%. Revenues are expected to be $801.8 million, up 16.9% from the year-ago quarter.Earnings and revenue growth expectations certainly give a good sense of the potential strength in a stock, but empirical research shows that trends in earnings estimate revisions are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements.For MRC, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. And a stock's price usually doesn't keep moving higher in the absence of any trend in earnings estimate revisions. So, make sure to keep an eye on MRC going forward to see if this recent jump can turn into more strength down the road.The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>MRC is a member of the Zacks Steel - Pipe and Tube industry. One other stock in the same industry, Valmont Industries (VMI), finished the last trading session 3.8% higher at $226.36. VMI has returned -15.5% over the past month.Valmont's consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming report has changed -1.7% over the past month to $3.30. Compared to the company's year-ago EPS, this represents a change of +7.8%. Valmont currently boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2022 In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2022? From inception in 2012 through 2021, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolios gained an impressive +1,001.2% versus the S&P 500’s +348.7%. Now our Director of Research has combed through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and has handpicked the best 10 tickers to buy and hold. Don’t miss your chance to get in…because the sooner you do, the more upside you stand to grab.See Stocks Now >>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 MRC Global Inc. (MRC): Free Stock Analysis Report Valmont Industries, Inc. (VMI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research