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Is Manulife Financial Corp (MFC) Outperforming Other Finance Stocks 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. Manulife Financial (MFC) 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? 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.

Manulife Financial is a member of our Finance group, which includes 872 different companies and currently sits at #16 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. Manulife Financial is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MFC's full-year earnings has moved 2.9% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

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Based on the most recent data, MFC has returned 8.3% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have lost about 0.4% on average. This shows that Manulife Financial is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Universal Insurance Holdings (UVE). The stock has returned 46.2% year-to-date.

In Universal Insurance Holdings' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 33.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Manulife Financial is a member of the Insurance - Life Insurance industry, which includes 14 individual companies and currently sits at #119 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 3.8% this year, meaning that MFC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Universal Insurance Holdings falls under the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry. Currently, this industry has 42 stocks and is ranked #113. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +2.4%.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Manulife Financial and Universal Insurance Holdings as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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Manulife Financial Corp (MFC) : Free Stock Analysis Report

UNIVERSAL INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC (UVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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Zacks Investment Research