Investors interested in Business Services stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Huron Consulting (HURN) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Huron Consulting is one of 259 companies in the Business Services group. The Business Services group currently sits at #4 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Huron Consulting is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HURN's full-year earnings has moved 1.2% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Our latest available data shows that HURN has returned about 32.6% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Business Services companies have returned an average of -10.2%. This means that Huron Consulting is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
MediaAlpha, Inc. (MAX) is another Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 12.7%.
In MediaAlpha, Inc.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 19% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
To break things down more, Huron Consulting belongs to the Consulting Services industry, a group that includes 13 individual companies and currently sits at #63 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 30.7% so far this year, meaning that HURN is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, MediaAlpha, Inc. belongs to the Technology Services industry. This 124-stock industry is currently ranked #70. The industry has moved +16.6% year to date.
Huron Consulting and MediaAlpha, Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Business Services stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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Huron Consulting Group Inc. (HURN): Free Stock Analysis Report MediaAlpha, Inc. (MAX): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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