Is BBVA Banco Frances (BBAR) Stock Outpacing Its Finance Peers This Year?

Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Banco BBVA (BBAR) been one of those stocks this year? 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.Banco BBVA is one of 871 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #1 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. Banco BBVA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBAR's full-year earnings has moved 46.7% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.Based on the most recent data, BBAR has returned 10.3% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 5.9% on average. This means that Banco BBVA is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.Another stock in the Finance sector, First Bancorp (FBP), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 11.8%.Over the past three months, First Bancorp's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.9%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, Banco BBVA belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry, which includes 68 individual stocks and currently sits at #159 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 6.4% so far this year, so BBAR is performing better in this area.First Bancorp, however, belongs to the Banks - Southeast industry. Currently, this 53-stock industry is ranked #18. The industry has moved +5.6% so far this year.Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to Banco BBVA and First Bancorp 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 +24.3% 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 BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (BBAR): Free Stock Analysis Report First BanCorp. (FBP): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks