Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Has Apollo Investment (AINV) Outpaced Other Finance Stocks This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Apollo Investment 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.

Apollo Investment is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 886 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Apollo Investment is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AINV's full-year earnings has moved 5.1% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, AINV has gained about 3.3% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of -12.1%. This means that Apollo Investment is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is BancFirst (BANF - Free Report) . The stock is up 52.4% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, BancFirst's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 17.9%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Apollo Investment belongs to the Financial - SBIC & Commercial Industry industry, a group that includes 37 individual stocks and currently sits at #66 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 3.2% so far this year, so AINV is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, BancFirst belongs to the Banks - Southwest industry. This 18-stock industry is currently ranked #33. The industry has moved +2.6% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to Apollo Investment and BancFirst as they could maintain their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


BancFirst Corporation (BANF) - free report >>

Published in