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Is HCI Group (HCI) Outperforming Other Finance Stocks 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. HCI Group (HCI - 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 Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.

HCI Group is one of 859 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #6 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. HCI Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HCI's full-year earnings has moved 38.9% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that HCI has returned about 29.2% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 1.6%. This shows that HCI Group is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Amerisafe (AMSF - 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 1.9%.

Over the past three months, Amerisafe's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 7.6%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, HCI Group is a member of the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, which includes 40 individual companies and currently sits at #35 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 14.8% so far this year, so HCI is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Amerisafe belongs to the Insurance - Accident and Health industry. This 5-stock industry is currently ranked #6. The industry has moved +2% year to date.

HCI Group and Amerisafe could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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AMERISAFE, Inc. (AMSF) - free report >>

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