Is Axis Capital Holdings (AXS) Stock Outpacing Its Finance Peers This Year?

Company Performance - Axis Capital (AXS) has returned 33.3% year-to-date, significantly outperforming the Finance sector's average return of 11.4% [2] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AXS' full-year earnings has increased by 5.8% over the past quarter, indicating stronger analyst sentiment and an improving earnings outlook [2] - Axis Capital holds a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), suggesting it has the characteristics to outperform the market in the near term [1] Industry Comparison - Axis Capital is part of the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, which has an average gain of 21.7% this year, indicating AXS is performing better than its industry peers [3] - In contrast, Ellington Credit (EARN), another outperforming Finance stock, is in the REIT and Equity Trust industry, which has seen a decline of 9.2% year-to-date [3] - The Insurance - Property and Casualty industry currently ranks 38 in the Zacks Industry Rank, while the REIT and Equity Trust industry ranks 88 [3]