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Is Unum Group (UNM) Stock Outpacing Its Finance Peers This Year?

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Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Unum (UNM - 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? 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.

Unum is one of 883 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #3 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Unum is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UNM's full-year earnings has moved 18.1% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, UNM has gained about 56.5% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have lost about 20.8% on average. This shows that Unum is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another stock in the Finance sector, First Business Financial Services (FBIZ - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 13.5%.

In First Business Financial Services' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 14.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Unum is a member of the Insurance - Accident and Health industry, which includes 5 individual companies and currently sits at #17 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 0.8% so far this year, so UNM is performing better in this area.

In contrast, First Business Financial Services falls under the Banks - Midwest industry. Currently, this industry has 29 stocks and is ranked #19. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -8.1%.

Unum and First Business Financial Services could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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