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Is The Progressive (PGR) 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. Has Progressive (PGR - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Progressive is one of 848 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #13 within 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 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. Progressive is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for PGR's full-year earnings has moved 20.9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, PGR has returned 21.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 1% on average. This means that Progressive 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 Aon (AON - Free Report) . The stock is up 3.1% year-to-date.

For Aon, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Progressive belongs to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, which includes 38 individual stocks and currently sits at #55 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 7.8% so far this year, so PGR is performing better in this area.

Aon, however, belongs to the Insurance - Brokerage industry. Currently, this 8-stock industry is ranked #23. The industry has moved +12% so far this year.

Progressive and Aon could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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