Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Business Services Stocks Lagging ESCO Technologies (ESE) This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Esco Technologies (ESE - 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.

Esco Technologies is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 234 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #8. 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 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. Esco Technologies is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ESE's full-year earnings has moved 6.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, ESE has moved about 61.3% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Business Services companies have returned an average of -8.1%. This means that Esco Technologies is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is HireQuest, Inc. (HQI - Free Report) . The stock is up 1.1% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for HireQuest, Inc.'s current year EPS has increased 6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Esco Technologies is a member of the Technology Services industry, which includes 111 individual companies and currently sits at #174 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 0.5% this year, meaning that ESE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, HireQuest, Inc. falls under the Staffing Firms industry. Currently, this industry has 13 stocks and is ranked #82. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +4.2%.

Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on Esco Technologies and HireQuest, Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)

Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.

Click Here, It's Really Free

Published in