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Are Finance Stocks Lagging Midwest Holding (MDWT) This Year?

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The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Midwest Holding Inc. 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Midwest Holding Inc. is one of 853 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #14 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 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. Midwest Holding Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MDWT's full-year earnings has moved 24.2% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that MDWT has returned about 107.3% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Finance stocks have gained an average of 5.4%. This means that Midwest Holding Inc. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Medallion Financial (MFIN - Free Report) is another Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 19.6%.

Over the past three months, Medallion Financial's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 24.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Midwest Holding Inc. belongs to the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry, which includes 62 individual stocks and currently sits at #187 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 6.7% so far this year, meaning that MDWT is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Medallion Financial belongs to the Financial - SBIC & Commercial Industry industry. This 34-stock industry is currently ranked #22. The industry has moved +15.6% year to date.

Midwest Holding Inc. and Medallion Financial could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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