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Are Business Services Stocks Lagging Barrett Business Services (BBSI) This Year?

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The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Barrett Business Services (BBSI - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Barrett Business Services is one of 319 individual stocks in the Business Services sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #14 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 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. Barrett Business Services is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBSI's full-year earnings has moved 3.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, BBSI has moved about 7.1% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Business Services sector has returned an average of -16.3% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Barrett Business Services is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Clean Harbors (CLH - Free Report) . The stock is up 6.5% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Clean Harbors' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 21.2%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Barrett Business Services belongs to the Outsourcing industry, a group that includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #94 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 8% this year, meaning that BBSI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Clean Harbors belongs to the Waste Removal Services industry. This 17-stock industry is currently ranked #145. The industry has moved -1.5% year to date.

Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on Barrett Business Services and Clean Harbors as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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Clean Harbors, Inc. (CLH) - free report >>

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