The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is BancFirst (BANF) 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.
BancFirst is one of 853 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #4 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 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. BancFirst is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BANF’s full-year earnings has moved 0.4% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock’s earnings outlook is more positive.
Based on the most recent data, BANF has returned 11% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 0.2% on average. As we can see, BancFirst is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
Another stock in the Finance sector, Janus Henderson Group plc (JHG), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock’s year-to-date return is 3.1%.
The consensus estimate for Janus Henderson Group plc’s current year EPS has increased 2.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Looking more specifically, BancFirst belongs to the Banks – Southwest industry, a group that includes 19 individual stocks and currently sits at #37 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 8.7% so far this year, meaning that BANF is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Janus Henderson Group plc falls under the Financial – Investment Management industry. Currently, this industry has 37 stocks and is ranked #146. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -8.2%.
Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to BancFirst and Janus Henderson Group plc as they could maintain their solid performance.
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