Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Axa Sa (AXAHY) 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? 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.
Axa Sa is one of 869 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #3 within 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 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. Axa Sa is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AXAHY's full-year earnings has moved 7.4% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, AXAHY has gained about 36.3% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 8.3%. This means that Axa Sa 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 JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM). The stock is up 19.2% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.1%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Axa Sa is a member of the Insurance - Multi line industry, which includes 43 individual companies and currently sits at #148 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 1.9% so far this year, meaning that AXAHY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
JPMorgan Chase & Co., however, belongs to the Financial - Investment Bank industry. Currently, this 21-stock industry is ranked #36. The industry has moved +18.1% so far this year.
Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to Axa Sa and JPMorgan Chase & Co. as they could maintain their solid performance.
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Axa Sa (AXAHY): Free Stock Analysis Report JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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