Investors interested in Business Services stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Willdan Group (WLDN) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Business Services peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Willdan Group is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 259 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.
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. Willdan Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for WLDN's full-year earnings has moved 12.5% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Our latest available data shows that WLDN has returned about 156.2% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Business Services companies have returned an average of -10.2%. This shows that Willdan Group is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Xylem (XYL) is another Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 20.2%.
The consensus estimate for Xylem's current year EPS has increased 4.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Willdan Group belongs to the Business - Services industry, a group that includes 26 individual stocks and currently sits at #43 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 9.6% so far this year, so WLDN is performing better in this area.
Xylem, however, belongs to the Waste Removal Services industry. Currently, this 22-stock industry is ranked #97. The industry has moved +0.7% so far this year.
Going forward, investors interested in Business Services stocks should continue to pay close attention to Willdan Group and Xylem as they could maintain their solid performance.
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Willdan Group, Inc. (WLDN): Free Stock Analysis Report Xylem Inc. (XYL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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