Are Finance Stocks Lagging JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) This Year?

For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) 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.JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a member of our Finance group, which includes 831 different companies and currently sits at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for JPM's full-year earnings has moved 2.3% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.According to our latest data, JPM has moved about 3.7% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 3.7% on average.One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Alerus (ALRS). The stock is up 34.9% year-to-date.Over the past three months, Alerus' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 13.6%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).Looking more specifically, JPMorgan Chase & Co. belongs to the Financial - Investment Bank industry, which includes 20 individual stocks and currently sits at #103 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 8.4% so far this year, so JPM is slightly underperforming its industry in this area. Alerus, however, belongs to the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry. Currently, this 107-stock industry is ranked #154. The industry has moved -7.9% so far this year.JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Alerus could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.7% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks