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Are Business Services Stocks Lagging Huron Consulting Group (HURN) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Business Services stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Huron Consulting (HURN - 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Business Services peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Huron Consulting is a member of our Business Services group, which includes 242 different companies and currently sits at #7 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. Huron Consulting is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HURN's full-year earnings has moved 1.2% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, HURN has moved about 0.1% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Business Services group have lost about 6.4% on average. As we can see, Huron Consulting is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Enpro (NPO - Free Report) is another Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 29.6%.

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

Looking more specifically, Huron Consulting belongs to the Consulting Services industry, a group that includes 12 individual stocks and currently sits at #31 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 3.9% this year, meaning that HURN is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Enpro falls under the Technology Services industry. Currently, this industry has 122 stocks and is ranked #100. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -23.5%.

Investors with an interest in Business Services stocks should continue to track Huron Consulting and Enpro. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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