Are Business Services Stocks Lagging Maximus (MMS) This Year?

MMS SPGI

The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Maximus (MMS - 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Business Services sector should help us answer this question.

Maximus is one of 330 companies in the Business Services group. The Business Services group currently sits at #11 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 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. Maximus is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MMS' full-year earnings has moved 6.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, MMS has gained about 18.6% so far this year. At the same time, Business Services stocks have gained an average of 13.8%. This shows that Maximus is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another stock in the Business Services sector, S&P Global (SPGI - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 26.2%.

The consensus estimate for S&P Global's current year EPS has increased 1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Maximus belongs to the Government Services industry, which includes 3 individual stocks and currently sits at #7 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 14.3% so far this year, so MMS is performing better in this area.

In contrast, S&P Global falls under the Business - Information Services industry. Currently, this industry has 11 stocks and is ranked #172. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +21.4%.

Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on Maximus and S&P Global as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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