Has Alerus Financial (ALRS) Outpaced Other Finance Stocks This Year?
Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Alerus (ALRS) 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.
Alerus is a member of our Finance group, which includes 857 different companies and currently sits at #8 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.
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. Alerus is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALRS' full-year earnings has moved 19.5% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.
Our latest available data shows that ALRS has returned about 3.5% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Finance stocks have gained an average of 1.8%. This means that Alerus is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is T. Rowe Price (TROW). The stock is up 2.1% year-to-date.
In T. Rowe Price's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 10.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Breaking things down more, Alerus is a member of the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry, which includes 68 individual companies and currently sits at #157 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 3.2% so far this year, so ALRS is performing better in this area.
T. Rowe Price, however, belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry. Currently, this 39-stock industry is ranked #19. The industry has moved +6.9% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Alerus and T. Rowe Price as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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Alerus Financial (ALRS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (TROW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
