The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is BancFirst (BANF) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
BancFirst is one of 857 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #7 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
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. BancFirst is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BANF's full-year earnings has moved 7.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
According to our latest data, BANF has moved about 5.6% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 4.8%. This shows that BancFirst is outperforming its peers so far this year.
One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Banco Bradesco (BBD). The stock is up 49.7% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Banco Bradesco's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 9.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, BancFirst is a member of the Banks - Southwest industry, which includes 19 individual companies and currently sits at #27 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 4% this year, meaning that BANF is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Banco Bradesco, however, belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry. Currently, this 66-stock industry is ranked #29. The industry has moved +22% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on BancFirst and Banco Bradesco as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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BancFirst Corporation (BANF): Free Stock Analysis Report Banco Bradesco SA (BBD): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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