A strong stock as of late has been Assurant (AIZ Quick QuoteAIZ - Free Report) . Shares have been marching higher, with the stock up 3.8% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $233.38 in the previous session. Assurant has gained 9.4% since the start of the year compared to the 16.9% move for the Zacks Finance sector and the 11.5% return for the Zacks Insurance - Multi line industry.

What's Driving the Outperformance?

The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on November 4, 2025, Assurant reported EPS of $5.73 versus consensus estimate of $4.23 while it beat the consensus revenue estimate by 2.67%.

For the current fiscal year, Assurant is expected to post earnings of $19.39 per share on $12.79 in revenues. This represents a 16.53% change in EPS on a 7.01% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $21.01 per share on $13.48 in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 8.37% and 5.39%, respectively.

Valuation Metrics

Assurant may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company has run ahead of itself.

On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.

Assurant has a Value Score of A. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are C and A, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of A.

In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 12X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium to the peer industry average of 9.9X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 10.9X versus its peer group's average of 12.2X. This is good enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective, making Assurant an interesting choice for value investors.

Zacks Rank

We also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this is even more important than the company's VGM Score. Fortunately, Assurant currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to a solid earnings estimate revision trend.

Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Assurant fits the bill. Thus, it seems as though Assurant shares could have potential in the weeks and months to come.

How Does AIZ Stack Up to the Competition?

Shares of AIZ have been soaring, and the company still appears to be a decent choice, but what about the rest of the industry? One industry peer that looks good is Markel Group Inc. (MKL Quick QuoteMKL - Free Report) . MKL has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value Score of B, a Growth Score of C, and a Momentum Score of C.

Earnings were strong last quarter. Markel Group Inc. beat our consensus estimate by 35.70%, and for the current fiscal year, MKL is expected to post earnings of $110.01 per share on revenue of $15.32 billion.

Shares of Markel Group Inc. have gained 5.7% over the past month, and currently trade at a forward P/E of 21.38X and a P/CF of 20.98X.

The Insurance - Multi line industry is in the top 20% of all the industries we have in our universe, so it looks like there are some nice tailwinds for AIZ and MKL, even beyond their own solid fundamental situation.