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Is Charles River Associates (CRAI) 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. CRA International (CRAI - 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? 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 314 individual stocks in the Business Services sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #6 in 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 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).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRAI's full-year earnings has moved 4.1% 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 51.4% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Business Services group have gained about 8.8% on average. This means that CRA International is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Healthcare Services (HCSG - Free Report) is another Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 18.6%.

For Healthcare Services, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 20.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, CRA International belongs to the Consulting Services industry, a group that includes 14 individual companies and currently sits at #77 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 2.5% so far this year, meaning that CRAI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Healthcare Services falls under the Business - Services industry. Currently, this industry has 22 stocks and is ranked #165. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -11.2%.

Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on CRA International and Healthcare Services as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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