Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Harte Hanks (HHS) Stock Outpacing Its Business Services Peers This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in Business Services stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Harte-Hanks (HHS - 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.

Harte-Hanks is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 330 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. 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. Harte-Hanks is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HHS' full-year earnings has moved 6% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, HHS has moved about 75.9% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Business Services sector has returned an average of -23.7% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Harte-Hanks is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Hudson Global (HSON - Free Report) . The stock is up 2.1% year-to-date.

For Hudson Global, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 38.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Harte-Hanks belongs to the Advertising and Marketing industry, which includes 15 individual stocks and currently sits at #225 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 26.4% so far this year, so HHS is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Hudson Global falls under the Outsourcing industry. Currently, this industry has 14 stocks and is ranked #85. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -11.3%.

Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on Harte-Hanks and Hudson Global as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Harte Hanks, Inc. (HHS) - free report >>

Hudson Global, Inc. (HSON) - free report >>

Published in