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Has KeyCorp (KEY) Outpaced 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. Is KeyCorp (KEY - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? 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.

KeyCorp is one of 889 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. KeyCorp is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for KEY's full-year earnings has moved 2.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, KEY has moved about 4.1% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 4% on average. This means that KeyCorp is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Arrow Financial (AROW - Free Report) . The stock has returned 25% year-to-date.

In Arrow Financial's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 0.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, KeyCorp belongs to the Banks - Major Regional industry, which includes 9 individual stocks and currently sits at #107 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 15% so far this year, so KEY is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Arrow Financial belongs to the Banks - Northeast industry. This 72-stock industry is currently ranked #46. The industry has moved +21.9% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track KeyCorp and Arrow Financial. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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