The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Maximus (MMS) 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 Business Services peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Maximus is one of 257 individual stocks in the Business Services sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Maximus is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MMS' full-year earnings has moved 16.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
According to our latest data, MMS has moved about 13.9% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Business Services group have lost about 6.9% on average. As we can see, Maximus is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
Another stock in the Business Services sector, NextNav Inc. (NN), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 7.3%.
For NextNav Inc., the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 29.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Maximus belongs to the Government Services industry, which includes 3 individual stocks and currently sits at #219 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 15.1% so far this year, so MMS is performing better in this area.
In contrast, NextNav Inc. falls under the Technology Services industry. Currently, this industry has 124 stocks and is ranked #85. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +26.2%.
Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on Maximus and NextNav Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Maximus, Inc. (MMS): Free Stock Analysis Report NextNav Inc. (NN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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