The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Alliance Bernstein (AB) 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? A quick glance at the company’s year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Finance sector should help us answer this question.
AllianceBernstein is one of 874 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #16 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.
The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. AllianceBernstein is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AB’s full-year earnings has moved 27.9% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company’s earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the most recent data, AB has returned 6.1% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 0.7%. This shows that AllianceBernstein is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Banco Do Brasil SA (BDORY). The stock has returned 32.8% year-to-date.
In Banco Do Brasil SA’s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 12.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
To break things down more, AllianceBernstein belongs to the Financial – Investment Management industry, a group that includes 43 individual companies and currently sits at #88 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 2.7% so far this year, meaning that AB is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, Banco Do Brasil SA belongs to the Banks – Foreign industry. This 68-stock industry is currently ranked #70. The industry has moved +6.7% year to date.
Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to Alliance Bernstein and Banco Do Brasil SA as they can maintain their solid performance.
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