For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is ACNB (ACNB) one of those stocks right now? 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.
ACNB is one of 856 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #6 in 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 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. ACNB is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACNB's full-year earnings has moved 3.4% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Our latest available data shows that ACNB has returned about 7.9% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of 7.6% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that ACNB is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Cherry Hill Mortgage (CHMI). The stock has returned 12.9% year-to-date.
For Cherry Hill Mortgage, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 5.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, ACNB belongs to the Banks - Southwest industry, which includes 19 individual stocks and currently sits at #38 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 0.7% so far this year, meaning that ACNB is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
Cherry Hill Mortgage, however, belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust industry. Currently, this 33-stock industry is ranked #194. The industry has moved +0.1% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on ACNB and Cherry Hill Mortgage as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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ACNB Corporation (ACNB): Free Stock Analysis Report Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment Corporation (CHMI): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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