Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Hercules Capital (HTGC) Stock Outpacing Its Finance Peers This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Hercules Capital (HTGC - 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Hercules Capital is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 862 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #6. 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 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. Hercules Capital is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HTGC's full-year earnings has moved 0.6% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, HTGC has gained about 27.1% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of 12.5% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Hercules Capital is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Progressive (PGR - Free Report) . The stock is up 41% year-to-date.

In Progressive's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 4.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Hercules Capital belongs to the Financial - SBIC & Commercial Industry industry, which includes 37 individual stocks and currently sits at #68 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 6.1% this year, meaning that HTGC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Progressive, however, belongs to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry. Currently, this 40-stock industry is ranked #67. The industry has moved +21.9% so far this year.

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Hercules Capital, Inc. (HTGC) - free report >>

The Progressive Corporation (PGR) - free report >>

Published in