The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Axa Sa (AXAHY) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Finance sector should help us answer this question.

Axa Sa is one of 859 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Axa Sa is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AXAHY's full-year earnings has moved 1.1% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, AXAHY has returned 24% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of -3.6%. This means that Axa Sa is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Finance sector, The Bank of East Asia Ltd. (BKEAY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 9.9%.

The consensus estimate for The Bank of East Asia Ltd.'s current year EPS has increased 7.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Axa Sa belongs to the Insurance - Multi line industry, a group that includes 41 individual companies and currently sits at #44 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 2.9% so far this year, meaning that AXAHY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, The Bank of East Asia Ltd. belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry. This 66-stock industry is currently ranked #15. The industry has moved +7.2% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Axa Sa and The Bank of East Asia Ltd. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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Axa Sa (AXAHY):Free Stock Analysis Report

The Bank of East Asia Ltd. (BKEAY):Free Stock Analysis Report

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

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