Is Crawford & Company (CRD.A) Outperforming Other Business Services Stocks This Year?
For those looking to find strong Business Services stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Crawford (CRD.A) 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Business Services sector should help us answer this question.
Crawford is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 335 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #6. 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 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. Crawford is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRD.A's full-year earnings has moved 13% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Our latest available data shows that CRD.A has returned about 63% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Business Services sector has returned an average of 3.4% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Crawford is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
ICF International (ICFI) is another Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 10.4%.
In ICF International's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 7.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Looking more specifically, Crawford belongs to the Business - Services industry, a group that includes 25 individual stocks and currently sits at #42 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 10.6% so far this year, meaning that CRD.A is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, ICF International belongs to the Government Services industry. This 3-stock industry is currently ranked #4. The industry has moved +0.5% year to date.
Investors with an interest in Business Services stocks should continue to track Crawford and ICF International. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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Crawford & Company (CRD.A) : Free Stock Analysis Report
ICF International, Inc. (ICFI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
