For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has BB Seguridade Participacoes SA (BBSEY) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

BB Seguridade Participacoes SA 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 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 is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. BB Seguridade Participacoes SA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBSEY's full-year earnings has moved 8.5% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that BBSEY has returned about 15.7% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Finance stocks have gained an average of 4.9%. This means that BB Seguridade Participacoes SA is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Mr Cooper (COOP) is another Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 34.1%.

The consensus estimate for Mr Cooper's current year EPS has increased 1.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, BB Seguridade Participacoes SA is a member of the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry, which includes 88 individual companies and currently sits at #95 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 2.6% so far this year, so BBSEY is performing better in this area.

In contrast, Mr Cooper falls under the Financial - Consumer Loans industry. Currently, this industry has 16 stocks and is ranked #90. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +11.2%.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on BB Seguridade Participacoes SA and Mr Cooper as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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BB Seguridade Participacoes SA (BBSEY):Free Stock Analysis Report

MR. COOPER GROUP INC (COOP):Free Stock Analysis Report

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

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