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Is Barrett Business Services (BBSI) Stock Outpacing Its Business Services Peers This Year?

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Investors interested in Business Services stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Barrett Business Services (BBSI - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Business Services sector should help us answer this question.

Barrett Business Services is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 333 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Barrett Business Services is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBSI's full-year earnings has moved 4.1% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that BBSI has returned about 42.1% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Business Services stocks have lost an average of 27.3%. This means that Barrett Business Services 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 26.8% year-to-date.

For Cross Country Healthcare, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 8.9% over the past three months. 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 #61 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 2.1% this year, meaning that BBSI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Cross Country Healthcare, however, belongs to the Staffing Firms industry. Currently, this 18-stock industry is ranked #173. The industry has moved -16.6% so far this year.

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


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