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Is Crawford & Company (CRD.B) Outperforming Other Business Services Stocks 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. Crawford & Company B (CRD.B - 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 Business Services sector should help us answer this question.

Crawford & Company B is one of 329 individual stocks in the Business Services sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #12 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. Crawford & Company B is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRD.B's full-year earnings has moved 4.3% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, CRD.B has gained about 62.5% so far this year. At the same time, Business Services stocks have gained an average of 8.9%. This shows that Crawford & Company B is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another stock in the Business Services sector, Marvell Technology (MRVL - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 59.6%.

In Marvell Technology's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 0.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Crawford & Company B belongs to the Business - Services industry, a group that includes 25 individual companies and currently sits at #220 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 13.1% so far this year, meaning that CRD.B is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Marvell Technology belongs to the Technology Services industry. This 187-stock industry is currently ranked #154. The industry has moved +16.9% year to date.

Crawford & Company B and Marvell Technology could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Business Services stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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