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Is Acuity, Inc. (AYI) Stock Outpacing Its Business Services Peers This Year?

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The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Acuity (AYI - 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Acuity is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 261 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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. Acuity is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AYI's full-year earnings has moved 4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, AYI has returned 25.3% so far this year. At the same time, Business Services stocks have lost an average of 2.4%. This shows that Acuity is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (PAGS - Free Report) . The stock is up 43.1% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, PagSeguro Digital Ltd.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 9.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Acuity belongs to the Technology Services industry, a group that includes 125 individual companies and currently sits at #50 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 41.7% so far this year, meaning that AYI is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, PagSeguro Digital Ltd. belongs to the Financial Transaction Services industry. This 34-stock industry is currently ranked #56. The industry has moved -6% year to date.

Acuity and PagSeguro Digital Ltd. 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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