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Has Unum Group (UNM) Outpaced Other Finance Stocks This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Unum (UNM - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? 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.

Unum is one of 885 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #3 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Unum is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for UNM's full-year earnings has moved 17.8% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that UNM has returned about 58.7% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of -11.7%. This shows that Unum is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is CaixaBank, S.A. Unsponsored ADR (CAIXY - Free Report) . The stock is up 1.2% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, CaixaBank, S.A. Unsponsored ADR's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 9.1%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Unum belongs to the Insurance - Accident and Health industry, a group that includes 5 individual stocks and currently sits at #20 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 6.9% so far this year, so UNM is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

CaixaBank, S.A. Unsponsored ADR, however, belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry. Currently, this 66-stock industry is ranked #77. The industry has moved -5.5% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Unum and CaixaBank, S.A. Unsponsored ADR. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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