The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has PROG Holdings (PRG) been one of those stocks this year? 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.
PROG Holdings is one of 833 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #3 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. PROG Holdings is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for PRG's full-year earnings has moved 34.7% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, PRG has gained about 12.7% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of -0.9%. This means that PROG Holdings is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Acadian Asset Management (AAMI). The stock has returned 46.4% year-to-date.
For Acadian Asset Management, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, PROG Holdings belongs to the Financial - Consumer Loans industry, which includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #33 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 18.5% so far this year, meaning that PRG is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Acadian Asset Management, however, belongs to the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry. Currently, this 107-stock industry is ranked #98. The industry has moved -8.6% so far this year.
PROG Holdings and Acadian Asset Management could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).