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Are Business Services Stocks Lagging ICF International (ICFI) This Year?

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The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. ICF International (ICFI - 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 Business Services sector should help us answer this question.

ICF International is one of 316 companies in the Business Services group. The Business Services group currently sits at #7 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 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. ICF International is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ICFI's full-year earnings has moved 4.5% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, ICFI has gained about 19% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Business Services sector has returned an average of 10.6% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, ICF International is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Nano-X Imaging Ltd. (NNOX - Free Report) . The stock is up 11% year-to-date.

In Nano-X Imaging Ltd.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 7.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, ICF International is a member of the Government Services industry, which includes 3 individual companies and currently sits at #27 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 17.6% so far this year, meaning that ICFI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Nano-X Imaging Ltd. belongs to the Technology Services industry. This 171-stock industry is currently ranked #72. The industry has moved +20.4% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Business Services stocks should continue to pay close attention to ICF International and Nano-X Imaging Ltd. as they could maintain their solid performance.


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