Are Finance Stocks Lagging EPR Properties (EPR) This Year?

For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is EPR Properties (EPR) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.EPR Properties is one of 858 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #4 within 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 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. EPR Properties is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPR's full-year earnings has moved 1.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.Based on the latest available data, EPR has gained about 10.8% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 0.4%. This means that EPR Properties is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Aviva (AVVIY). The stock has returned 25.9% year-to-date.For Aviva, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, EPR Properties belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust - Retail industry, which includes 21 individual stocks and currently sits at #88 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 7.8% this year, meaning that EPR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.On the other hand, Aviva belongs to the Insurance - Life Insurance industry. This 16-stock industry is currently ranked #95. The industry has moved -4.2% year to date.Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to EPR Properties 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 +23.9% 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 EPR Properties (EPR): 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