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Is American National Bankshares (AMNB) Outperforming Other Finance Stocks This Year?

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The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. American National Bankshares 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 Finance sector should help us answer this question.

American National Bankshares is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 894 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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. American National Bankshares is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMNB's full-year earnings has moved 7.6% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, AMNB has gained about 0.4% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have lost about 5.6% on average. This means that American National Bankshares is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Finance sector, Associated Banc-Corp (ASB - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 1.5%.

Over the past three months, Associated Banc-Corp's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 6.8%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, American National Bankshares belongs to the Banks - Southeast industry, which includes 66 individual stocks and currently sits at #41 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 3.5% so far this year, so AMNB is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Associated Banc-Corp belongs to the Banks - Midwest industry. This 29-stock industry is currently ranked #28. The industry has moved -1.7% year to date.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on American National Bankshares and Associated Banc-Corp as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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