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Has Franklin Resources (BEN) 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 Franklin Resources (BEN - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Finance sector should help us answer this question.

Franklin Resources is a member of our Finance group, which includes 902 different companies and currently sits at #2 in 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. Franklin Resources is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BEN's full-year earnings has moved 2.9% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, BEN has gained about 36.3% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 21.6%. This means that Franklin Resources is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Extra Space Storage (EXR - Free Report) is another Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 80.1%.

The consensus estimate for Extra Space Storage's current year EPS has increased 4.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Franklin Resources belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry, a group that includes 44 individual companies and currently sits at #67 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 18.6% this year, meaning that BEN is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Extra Space Storage, however, belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry. Currently, this 112-stock industry is ranked #151. The industry has moved +28.4% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Franklin Resources and Extra Space Storage as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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