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Are Business Services Stocks Lagging Charles River Associates (CRAI) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Business Services stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has CRA International (CRAI - 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.

CRA International is one of 333 individual stocks in the Business Services sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #9 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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. CRA International is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRAI's full-year earnings has moved 3.8% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that CRAI has returned about 3.9% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Business Services group have lost about 32.7% on average. This means that CRA International is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Business Services stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Cross Country Healthcare (CCRN - Free Report) . The stock has returned 31.2% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Cross Country Healthcare's current year EPS has increased 0.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, CRA International belongs to the Consulting Services industry, a group that includes 15 individual stocks and currently sits at #146 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 29.6% so far this year, so CRAI is performing better in this area.

In contrast, Cross Country Healthcare falls under the Staffing Firms industry. Currently, this industry has 18 stocks and is ranked #86. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -22.3%.

Going forward, investors interested in Business Services stocks should continue to pay close attention to CRA International and Cross Country Healthcare as they could maintain their solid performance.


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