Are Finance Stocks Lagging Atlas (ATCO) 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 Atlas (ATCO) 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.

Atlas is one of 885 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #1 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. Atlas is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATCO's full-year earnings has moved 2.1% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, ATCO has gained about 8.4% so far this year. At the same time, Finance stocks have lost an average of 11%. This means that Atlas is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Berkshire Hills Bancorp (BHLB). The stock is up 8.6% year-to-date.

In Berkshire Hills Bancorp'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 #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Atlas belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry, which includes 45 individual stocks and currently sits at #98 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 16.3% so far this year, so ATCO is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Berkshire Hills Bancorp belongs to the Financial - Savings and Loan industry. This 32-stock industry is currently ranked #59. The industry has moved -5.6% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Atlas and Berkshire Hills Bancorp. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (BHLB) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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