Has American Financial Group (AFG) Outpaced Other Finance Stocks This Year?
The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is American Financial Group (AFG) one of those stocks right now? 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.
American Financial Group is one of 884 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #2 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 is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. American Financial Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AFG's full-year earnings has moved 0.4% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, AFG has gained about 0.4% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of -13.8%. As we can see, American Financial Group is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Bridgewater (BWB). The stock is up 0.5% year-to-date.
For Bridgewater, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, American Financial Group belongs to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, a group that includes 40 individual companies and currently sits at #174 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 4.6% so far this year, so AFG is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.
Bridgewater, however, belongs to the Banks - Northeast industry. Currently, this 88-stock industry is ranked #84. The industry has moved -18.3% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on American Financial Group and Bridgewater as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Bridgewater Bancshares, Inc. (BWB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
