Is Willdan Group (WLDN) Stock Outpacing Its Business Services Peers This Year?

For those looking to find strong Business Services stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Willdan Group (WLDN) 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 Business Services sector should help us answer this question.Willdan Group is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 290 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #8. 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 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. Willdan Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WLDN's full-year earnings has moved 20.1% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.According to our latest data, WLDN has moved about 4.9% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Business Services companies have returned an average of -1.6%. As we can see, Willdan Group is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.Another Business Services stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Wartsila (WRTBY). The stock has returned 11.1% year-to-date.The consensus estimate for Wartsila's current year EPS has increased 5.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, Willdan Group belongs to the Business - Services industry, a group that includes 25 individual stocks and currently sits at #145 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 2.8% so far this year, so WLDN is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.In contrast, Wartsila falls under the Technology Services industry. Currently, this industry has 151 stocks and is ranked #67. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -3.3%.Going forward, investors interested in Business Services stocks should continue to pay close attention to Willdan Group and Wartsila as they could maintain their solid performance.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant 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 Willdan Group, Inc. (WLDN): Free Stock Analysis Report Wartsila (WRTBY): 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