Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Citigroup (C) 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 Finance sector should help us answer this question.
Citigroup is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 868 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. 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 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. Citigroup is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for C's full-year earnings has moved 2.9% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Our latest available data shows that C has returned about 37.9% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 11.9%. This means that Citigroup is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
Banco Bilbao (BBVA) is another Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 101.3%.
For Banco Bilbao, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 9.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Breaking things down more, Citigroup is a member of the Financial - Investment Bank industry, which includes 21 individual companies and currently sits at #34 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 25.7% so far this year, so C is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Banco Bilbao falls under the Banks - Foreign industry. Currently, this industry has 67 stocks and is ranked #89. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +36.3%.
Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Citigroup and Banco Bilbao. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (BBVA): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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