Are Finance Stocks Lagging Citigroup (C) This Year?

Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Citigroup (C) 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 Finance sector should help us answer this question.

Citigroup is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 869 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #1. 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. Citigroup is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for C's full-year earnings has moved 4.1% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that C has returned about 31.1% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of 9.1% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Citigroup is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Acadian Asset Management (AAMI). The stock has returned 72.1% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Acadian Asset Management's current year EPS has increased 30.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Citigroup is a member of the Financial - Investment Bank industry, which includes 21 individual companies and currently sits at #13 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 20.5% this year, meaning that C is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Acadian Asset Management belongs to the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry. This 93-stock industry is currently ranked #58. The industry has moved +2.6% year to date.

Citigroup and Acadian Asset Management could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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Source Zacks-com