For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW) 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.
The Charles Schwab Corporation is one of 863 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #2 in 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 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. The Charles Schwab Corporation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for SCHW's full-year earnings has moved 3.9% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the most recent data, SCHW has returned 30.5% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 15.8% on average. This means that The Charles Schwab Corporation is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is CB Financial Services (CBFV). The stock has returned 27.7% year-to-date.
The consensus estimate for CB Financial Services' current year EPS has increased 5.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Looking more specifically, The Charles Schwab Corporation belongs to the Financial - Investment Bank industry, which includes 21 individual stocks and currently sits at #29 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 34.6% so far this year, so SCHW is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.
CB Financial Services, however, belongs to the Banks - Northeast industry. Currently, this 76-stock industry is ranked #70. The industry has moved +12% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on The Charles Schwab Corporation and CB Financial Services as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW): Free Stock Analysis Report CB Financial Services, Inc. (CBFV): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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