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Are Finance Stocks Lagging AllianceBernstein (AB) This Year?

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Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is AllianceBernstein (AB - Free Report) 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.

AllianceBernstein is a member of our Finance group, which includes 872 different companies and currently sits at #2 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. AllianceBernstein is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AB's full-year earnings has moved 2.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that AB has returned about 20.6% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 18.5%. This means that AllianceBernstein is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Finance sector, Aflac (AFL - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 26.9%.

Over the past three months, Aflac's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 5.2%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, AllianceBernstein is a member of the Financial - Investment Management industry, which includes 37 individual companies and currently sits at #23 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 28.2% so far this year, meaning that AB is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

Aflac, however, belongs to the Insurance - Accident and Health industry. Currently, this 5-stock industry is ranked #16. The industry has moved +29.6% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on AllianceBernstein and Aflac as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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