Is AvalonBay Communities (AVB) Outperforming Other Finance Stocks This Year?
For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is AvalonBay Communities (AVB) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Finance sector should help us answer this question.
AvalonBay Communities is a member of our Finance group, which includes 872 different companies and currently sits at #16 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.
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. AvalonBay Communities is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AVB's full-year earnings has moved 0.3% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
According to our latest data, AVB has moved about 8.5% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have lost about 1.5% on average. As we can see, AvalonBay Communities is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Liberty Media Corporation (BATRK). The stock has returned 17.3% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Liberty Media Corporation's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 27%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, AvalonBay Communities belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust - Residential industry, a group that includes 25 individual companies and currently sits at #175 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 1.8% so far this year, so AVB is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Liberty Media Corporation falls under the Real Estate - Operations industry. Currently, this industry has 35 stocks and is ranked #211. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -0.9%.
Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track AvalonBay Communities and Liberty Media Corporation. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (AVB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Liberty Media Corporation (BATRK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
