Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Has Cathay General (CATY) Outpaced Other Finance Stocks This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Cathay General (CATY - 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Cathay General is one of 894 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #2 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Cathay General is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CATY's full-year earnings has moved 6.9% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, CATY has gained about 0.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of -8.2% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Cathay General is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Chubb (CB - 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 2.9%.

In Chubb's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Cathay General belongs to the Banks - West industry, which includes 32 individual stocks and currently sits at #20 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 15.6% this year, meaning that CATY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Chubb, however, belongs to the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry. Currently, this 40-stock industry is ranked #73. The industry has moved +6.1% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Cathay General and Chubb. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Chubb Limited (CB) - free report >>

Cathay General Bancorp (CATY) - free report >>

Published in