Is Assurant (AIZ) 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. Is Assurant (AIZ) 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.

Assurant is one of 848 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #9 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. Assurant is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AIZ's full-year earnings has moved 17.4% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, AIZ has returned 30.7% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of 5.7% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Assurant is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Everest Group (EG). The stock has returned 16.3% year-to-date.

In Everest Group's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 12.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Assurant is a member of the Insurance - Multi line industry, which includes 34 individual companies and currently sits at #81 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 1.2% so far this year, meaning that AIZ is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Everest Group is also part of the same industry.

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

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