Has Associated BancCorp (ASB) Outpaced Other Finance Stocks This Year?

Group 1 - Associated Banc-Corp (ASB) is part of the Finance sector, which includes 871 individual stocks and holds a Zacks Sector Rank of 1, indicating strong performance relative to peers [2] - The Zacks Rank system emphasizes earnings estimates and revisions, with ASB currently holding a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), suggesting potential for outperformance in the near term [3] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASB's full-year earnings has increased by 4.3% in the past quarter, indicating improved analyst sentiment and an enhanced earnings outlook [4] Group 2 - ASB has achieved a year-to-date return of approximately 7.2%, outperforming the average gain of 6.6% for stocks in the Finance group [4] - ASB belongs to the Banks - Midwest industry, which consists of 29 stocks and is currently ranked 10 in the Zacks Industry Rank, with the industry averaging a gain of 5% this year [6] - In comparison, Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR), another stock in the Finance sector, has a year-to-date return of 29.2% and is part of the Financial - Investment Bank industry, which has gained 14.1% since the beginning of the year [5][7]