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Is Hercules Capital (HTGC) Stock Outpacing Its Finance Peers 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. Hercules Technology (HTGC - Free Report) 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.

Hercules Technology is one of 870 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #13 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Hercules Technology is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HTGC's full-year earnings has moved 2.5% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, HTGC has moved about 22.8% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 7.3% on average. As we can see, Hercules Technology is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Finance sector, Meta Financial (CASH - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 20.4%.

For Meta Financial, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Hercules Technology is a member of the Financial - SBIC & Commercial Industry industry, which includes 36 individual companies and currently sits at #43 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 8.7% so far this year, so HTGC is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Meta Financial belongs to the Financial - Savings and Loan industry. This 31-stock industry is currently ranked #233. The industry has moved +7% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Hercules Technology and Meta Financial. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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Hercules Capital, Inc. (HTGC) - free report >>

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