Are Finance Stocks Lagging Atlantic Union Bankshares (AUB) This Year?

Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Atlantic Union (AUB) 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.

Atlantic Union is one of 850 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #3 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Atlantic Union is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AUB's full-year earnings has moved 4.3% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, AUB has moved about 5% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have lost about 0.3% on average. As we can see, Atlantic Union is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR). The stock has returned 10.7% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 5.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Atlantic Union belongs to the Banks - Northeast industry, a group that includes 74 individual stocks and currently sits at #36 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 5.5% so far this year, so AUB is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

In contrast, Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. falls under the Financial - Investment Bank industry. Currently, this industry has 21 stocks and is ranked #21. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -7%.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Atlantic Union and Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB): Free Stock Analysis Report

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

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