For those looking to find strong Business Services stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Acuity (AYI) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Acuity is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 246 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #8. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Acuity is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AYI's full-year earnings has moved 2.1% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
According to our latest data, AYI has moved about 0.1% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Business Services group have lost about 8.7% on average. This shows that Acuity is outperforming its peers so far this year.
One other Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is FirstCash Holdings (FCFS). The stock is up 35.7% year-to-date.
In FirstCash Holdings' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 4.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Acuity belongs to the Technology Services industry, which includes 121 individual stocks and currently sits at #150 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 7% so far this year, so AYI is performing better in this area.
On the other hand, FirstCash Holdings belongs to the Financial Transaction Services industry. This 37-stock industry is currently ranked #96. The industry has moved -7.4% year to date.
Acuity and FirstCash Holdings could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Business Services stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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