For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Banner (BANR) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Banner is one of 835 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.
The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Banner is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BANR's full-year earnings has moved 0.1% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the most recent data, BANR has returned 8.1% so far this year. At the same time, Finance stocks have lost an average of 0.8%. This means that Banner is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR) is another Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 11.9%.
For Innovative Industrial Properties, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Looking more specifically, Banner belongs to the Financial - Savings and Loan industry, a group that includes 19 individual stocks and currently sits at #66 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 12.5% this year, meaning that BANR is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, Innovative Industrial Properties belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry. This 91-stock industry is currently ranked #55. The industry has moved +9.1% year to date.
Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Banner and Innovative Industrial Properties. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Banner Corporation (BANR): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).