Are Finance Stocks Lagging Affiliated Managers Group (AMG) This Year?

Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Affiliated Managers Group (AMG) one of those stocks right now? 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.Affiliated Managers Group is one of 866 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #5 within 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 proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Affiliated Managers Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMG's full-year earnings has moved 4.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.Based on the most recent data, AMG has returned 29.1% so far this year. At the same time, Finance stocks have gained an average of 14.7%. This shows that Affiliated Managers Group is outperforming its peers so far this year.Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Aviva (AVVIY). The stock has returned 57.3% year-to-date.Over the past three months, Aviva's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 10.1%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).To break things down more, Affiliated Managers Group belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry, a group that includes 36 individual companies and currently sits at #89 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 2.8% so far this year, meaning that AMG is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Aviva, however, belongs to the Insurance - Life Insurance industry. Currently, this 16-stock industry is ranked #54. The industry has moved -0.3% so far this year.Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to Affiliated Managers Group and Aviva as they could maintain their solid performance.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.5% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (AMG): Free Stock Analysis Report Aviva PLC (AVVIY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks