For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Citigroup (C) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Citigroup is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 833 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Citigroup is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for C's full-year earnings has moved 4.1% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the most recent data, C has returned 10.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 0% on average. This means that Citigroup is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is California BanCorp (BCAL). The stock is up 2.1% year-to-date.
The consensus estimate for California BanCorp's current year EPS has increased 1.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Citigroup belongs to the Financial - Investment Bank industry, a group that includes 20 individual stocks and currently sits at #99 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 2.4% this year, meaning that C is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, California BanCorp falls under the Banks - Southwest industry. Currently, this industry has 19 stocks and is ranked #70. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +6.3%.
Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Citigroup and California BanCorp. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report
California BanCorp (BCAL): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).