Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Erste Group Bank AG (EBKDY) 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.

Erste Group Bank AG is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 855 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #9. 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 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. Erste Group Bank AG is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EBKDY's full-year earnings has moved 4.7% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, EBKDY has returned 7.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 7.5% on average. This shows that Erste Group Bank AG is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Employers Holdings (EIG). The stock has returned 12.7% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Employers Holdings' current year EPS has increased 6.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Erste Group Bank AG belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry, a group that includes 69 individual stocks and currently sits at #55 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 3.8% so far this year, so EBKDY is performing better in this area.

Employers Holdings, however, belongs to the Insurance - Accident and Health industry. Currently, this 5-stock industry is ranked #5. The industry has moved +4.9% so far this year.

Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to Erste Group Bank AG and Employers Holdings as they could maintain their solid performance.

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Erste Group Bank AG (EBKDY) : Free Stock Analysis Report