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Is Bank First National (BFC) Stock Outpacing Its Finance Peers 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. Bank First Corporation (BFC - 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Finance sector should help us answer this question.

Bank First Corporation is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 847 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #4. 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. Bank First Corporation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BFC's full-year earnings has moved 35.3% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that BFC has returned about 7% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of -7.1% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Bank First Corporation is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Pathward Financial (CASH - Free Report) . The stock is up 25.8% year-to-date.

For Pathward Financial, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Bank First Corporation belongs to the Banks - Northeast industry, a group that includes 73 individual stocks and currently sits at #39 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 0.5% this year, meaning that BFC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Pathward Financial is also part of the same industry.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Bank First Corporation and Pathward Financial. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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