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Has SLM (SLM) 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. SLM (SLM - 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.

SLM is a member of our Finance group, which includes 839 different companies and currently sits at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. SLM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for SLM's full-year earnings has moved 36.28% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, SLM has returned 16.27% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of -9.27% on a year-to-date basis. This means that SLM is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, SLM belongs to the Financial - Consumer Loans industry, a group that includes 21 individual stocks and currently sits at #77 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 11.91% so far this year, so SLM is performing better in this area.

Investors in the Finance sector will want to keep a close eye on SLM as it attempts to continue its solid performance.


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