Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Popular (BPOP) 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 Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Popular is a member of our Finance group, which includes 857 different companies and currently sits at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.
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. Popular is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BPOP's full-year earnings has moved 4.8% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the most recent data, BPOP has returned 10.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of 5.4% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Popular is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
Another stock in the Finance sector, Progressive (PGR), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 20.5%.
The consensus estimate for Progressive's current year EPS has increased 6.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Popular is a member of the Banks - Southeast industry, which includes 53 individual companies and currently sits at #62 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 6.9% so far this year, meaning that BPOP is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Progressive falls under the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry. Currently, this industry has 43 stocks and is ranked #43. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +11.3%.
Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Popular and Progressive as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Popular, Inc. (BPOP): Free Stock Analysis Report The Progressive Corporation (PGR): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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