conventional wisdom says to steer clear of industrial stocks heading into a recession in anticipation of sputtering economic growth and factory production but even in the face of a looming downturn this year wall street still expects a host of industrial companies to weather the turmoil and sees strong gains in the months ahead xli ytd mountain the xli is up more than 2 this year industrial stocks outperformed last year and continue to fare well in 2023 the industrial select sector spdr fund xli tracking the sector fell 72 last year and is already up more than 2 in 2023 during the fourth quarter xli surged 186 against this backdrop cnbc pro searched for stocks in the xli with at least a 55 buy rating and a potential upside of 15 or more given analysts consensus price target here are the names that met the criteria airline stocks took a hit in 2022 as fuel prices surged and their operating costs rose at the same time the sector benefited from a rebound in travel demand as covid19 lockdown restrictions eased and borders reopened last year shares of alaska air group  southwest airlines and delta air lines lost anywhere from 16 to 21 but are now seen rebounding at least 24 each based on consensus price targets of the group alaska boasts the greatest percentage of analysts rating it a buy 87 delta shares could see the greatest upside of the three with the consensus target implying a 32 potential rally in the shares this week delta reported fourthquarter earnings that surpassed analysts expectations  while strong travel demand persists delta said higher labor costs would put a dent in the companys profit outlook shares of southwest fell wednesday on news that its pilots union is calling for a vote to authorize a strike  weeks after the airline suffered a holiday meltdown auxiliary power equipment maker generac also made the list with the average price target suggesting shares stand to gain as much as 20 amid last years market sell off and a difficult housing market shares tumbled more than 71 aerospace and defense contractor general dynamics and online car auction company copart also made the screen with their consensus price targets implying 16 and 19 upside respectively