Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (ATLC) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Atlanticus Holdings Corporation is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 835 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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. Atlanticus Holdings Corporation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATLC's full-year earnings has moved 1.4% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the most recent data, ATLC has returned 14.5% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of -1.9% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Atlanticus Holdings Corporation 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 Avidbank Holdings Inc. (AVBH). The stock is up 10.9% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Avidbank Holdings Inc.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 6.8%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Atlanticus Holdings Corporation belongs to the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry, which includes 107 individual stocks and currently sits at #63 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 10.7% so far this year, so ATLC is performing better in this area.
Avidbank Holdings Inc., however, belongs to the Banks - West industry. Currently, this 26-stock industry is ranked #63. The industry has moved +6.1% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Atlanticus Holdings Corporation and Avidbank Holdings Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (ATLC): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).