Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is GEN DIGITAL INC (GEN) Outperforming Other Business Services Stocks This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Business Services stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Gen Digital (GEN - Free Report) 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Business Services sector should help us answer this question.

Gen Digital is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 259 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Gen Digital is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GEN's full-year earnings has moved 3.6% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that GEN has returned about 10.6% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Business Services companies have returned an average of 2.1%. This means that Gen Digital is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Business Services sector, Coursera (COUR - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 2.8%.

In Coursera's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 13.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Gen Digital belongs to the Technology Services industry, a group that includes 122 individual companies and currently sits at #71 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 13.2% so far this year, so GEN is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Coursera is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on Gen Digital and Coursera as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

See More Zacks Research for These Tickers

Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE: