Are Finance Stocks Lagging Assurant (AIZ) This Year?

Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Assurant (AIZ) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Assurant is one of 890 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 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 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. Assurant is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AIZ’s full-year earnings has moved 6.5% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock’s earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, AIZ has gained about 13.3% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 3.3%. This shows that Assurant is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Mobile Infrastructure Corporation (BEEP). The stock has returned 9% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Mobile Infrastructure Corporation’s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 17.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Assurant belongs to the Insurance – Multi line industry, which includes 49 individual stocks and currently sits at #108 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 0.7% this year, meaning that AIZ is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Mobile Infrastructure Corporation falls under the Real Estate – Operations industry. Currently, this industry has 33 stocks and is ranked #190. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -18.9%.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Assurant and Mobile Infrastructure Corporation as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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