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Is Aflac (AFL) Outperforming Other Finance Stocks This Year?

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Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Aflac (AFL - 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.

Aflac is one of 871 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #4 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. Aflac is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AFL's full-year earnings has moved 4.6% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, AFL has returned 36.8% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 17.1%. As we can see, Aflac is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

BGC Group (BGC - Free Report) is another Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 33.2%.

In BGC Group's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 1.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Aflac is a member of the Insurance - Accident and Health industry, which includes 5 individual companies and currently sits at #103 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 34.7% so far this year, meaning that AFL is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, BGC Group falls under the Financial - Investment Bank industry. Currently, this industry has 15 stocks and is ranked #50. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +17.4%.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Aflac and BGC Group. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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