Is Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Stock Outpacing Its Finance Peers This Year?

Group 1 - Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) has gained approximately 31.2% year-to-date, outperforming the average return of 15.8% for Finance companies [4] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BNS' full-year earnings has increased by 1.9% over the past three months, indicating improved analyst sentiment and earnings outlook [3] - BNS belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry, which has an average year-to-date gain of 48.9%, suggesting that BNS is slightly underperforming its industry [6] Group 2 - Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. (BWFG) has returned 52.8% year-to-date, significantly outperforming both the Finance sector and its own industry [4] - The consensus EPS estimate for BWFG has increased by 6.9% over the past three months, reflecting positive analyst sentiment [5] - The Banks - Northeast industry, to which BWFG belongs, has moved up by 7.4% year-to-date, ranking 63 in the Zacks Industry Rank [7]