For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Acadian Asset Management (AAMI) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Acadian Asset Management is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 857 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #7. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Acadian Asset Management is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AAMI's full-year earnings has moved 2.9% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, AAMI has gained about 11% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 3.7%. This means that Acadian Asset Management is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Finance sector, Allianz SE (ALIZY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 29.2%.

The consensus estimate for Allianz SE's current year EPS has increased 9.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Acadian Asset Management belongs to the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry, a group that includes 88 individual stocks and currently sits at #131 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 6.7% this year, meaning that AAMI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Allianz SE falls under the Insurance - Multi line industry. Currently, this industry has 41 stocks and is ranked #70. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +1.7%.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Acadian Asset Management and Allianz SE as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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Acadian Asset Management Inc. (AAMI):Free Stock Analysis Report

Allianz SE (ALIZY):Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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