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Has Axis Capital Holdings (AXS) Outpaced Other Finance Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Axis Capital (AXS - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Axis Capital is one of 889 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #3 within 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. Axis Capital is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AXS' full-year earnings has moved 7.3% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, AXS has returned 2.2% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of -16.3%. This shows that Axis Capital is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Credicorp (BAP - Free Report) . The stock is up 0.7% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Credicorp's current year EPS has increased 3.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Axis Capital belongs to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, a group that includes 39 individual companies and currently sits at #173 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 4.4% so far this year, so AXS is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Credicorp belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry. This 66-stock industry is currently ranked #59. The industry has moved -9.4% year to date.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Axis Capital and Credicorp as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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