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Are Business Services Stocks Lagging EXL Service (EXLS) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Business Services stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. ExlService Holdings (EXLS - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Business Services peers, we might be able to answer that question.

ExlService Holdings is one of 333 companies in the Business Services group. The Business Services group currently sits at #12 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. ExlService Holdings is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

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

Based on the latest available data, EXLS has gained about 21.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Business Services sector has returned an average of -26.7% on a year-to-date basis. This means that ExlService Holdings is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Huron Consulting (HURN - Free Report) . The stock is up 48.3% year-to-date.

In Huron Consulting's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 0.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, ExlService Holdings belongs to the Outsourcing industry, which includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #40 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 3% so far this year, so EXLS is performing better in this area.

Huron Consulting, however, belongs to the Consulting Services industry. Currently, this 15-stock industry is ranked #40. The industry has moved -23.6% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Business Services stocks should continue to track ExlService Holdings and Huron Consulting. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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Huron Consulting Group Inc. (HURN) - free report >>

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