Group 1 - Business First (BFST) is currently outperforming its peers in the Finance sector with a year-to-date return of 6.9%, compared to the sector average of 5.9% [4] - The Zacks Rank for Business First is 1 (Strong Buy), indicating a positive outlook based on earnings estimates and revisions, with a 4% increase in the consensus estimate for full-year earnings over the past quarter [3] - Business First is part of the Banks - Northeast industry, which has an average year-to-date return of 8.3%, suggesting that BFST is slightly underperforming its industry [5] Group 2 - The Finance sector includes 871 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of 1, indicating strong overall performance [2] - Jackson Financial (JXN), another Finance stock, has returned 7.1% year-to-date and has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), with a 2.4% increase in the consensus EPS estimate over the past three months [4][5] - The Insurance - Life Insurance industry, where Jackson Financial operates, has a lower ranking (165) and has only moved +2% since the beginning of the year [6]
Is Business First Bancshares (BFST) Outperforming Other Finance Stocks This Year?