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Has Esquire Financial (ESQ) 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. Has Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (ESQ - 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 Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 894 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ESQ's full-year earnings has moved 0.3% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, ESQ has returned 11.9% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of -11.8%. This means that Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is First Bancorp (FBP - Free Report) . The stock has returned 2.7% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, First Bancorp's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 5.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. belongs to the Banks - Northeast industry, a group that includes 88 individual companies and currently sits at #27 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 13.5% this year, meaning that ESQ is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, First Bancorp falls under the Banks - Southeast industry. Currently, this industry has 66 stocks and is ranked #29. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -8.9%.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. and First Bancorp as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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