Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. CME Group (CME) 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 Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.

CME Group is one of 858 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. CME Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CME's full-year earnings has moved 6.9% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, CME has gained about 19% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 6.3% on average. This means that CME Group is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is ACNB (ACNB). The stock has returned 10.5% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, ACNB's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 15.7%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, CME Group is a member of the Securities and Exchanges industry, which includes 7 individual companies and currently sits at #12 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 16.1% so far this year, so CME is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, ACNB falls under the Banks - Southwest industry. Currently, this industry has 19 stocks and is ranked #20. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -0.3%.

CME Group and ACNB could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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

Story Continues

CME Group Inc. (CME):Free Stock Analysis Report

ACNB Corporation (ACNB):Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

View Comments