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Is Aflac (AFL) Stock Outpacing Its Finance Peers This Year?

Zacks Equity Research
·2-min read

For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Aflac (AFL) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Aflac is a member of our Finance group, which includes 892 different companies and currently sits at #2 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. Aflac is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AFL's full-year earnings has moved 2% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

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Based on the most recent data, AFL has returned 2.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have lost about 17.8% on average. This shows that Aflac is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Ashford (AINC). The stock is up 2% year-to-date.

In Ashford's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 10.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Aflac belongs to the Insurance - Accident and Health industry, a group that includes 5 individual companies and currently sits at #87 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 3.6% so far this year, so AFL is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

On the other hand, Ashford belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry. This 45-stock industry is currently ranked #77. The industry has moved -28.9% year to date.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Aflac and Ashford as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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Aflac Incorporated (AFL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Ashford Inc. (AINC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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Zacks Investment Research