Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Associated Banc-Corp (ASB) Stock Outpacing Its Finance Peers This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Associated Banc-Corp (ASB - Free Report) 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.

Associated Banc-Corp is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 899 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #1. 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. Associated Banc-Corp is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASB's full-year earnings has moved 5.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that ASB has returned about 8.7% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 1.3%. This means that Associated Banc-Corp is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Fulton Financial (FULT - Free Report) . The stock is up 6.7% year-to-date.

In Fulton Financial's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 9.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Associated Banc-Corp belongs to the Banks - Midwest industry, a group that includes 30 individual stocks and currently sits at #11 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 1.9% so far this year, so ASB is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Fulton Financial falls under the Banks - Northeast industry. Currently, this industry has 90 stocks and is ranked #14. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +2.3%.

Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to Associated Banc-Corp and Fulton Financial as they could maintain their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Fulton Financial Corporation (FULT) - free report >>

Associated Banc-Corp (ASB) - free report >>

Published in