For those looking to find strong Business Services stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Paymentus (PAY) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Business Services peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Paymentus is one of 317 individual stocks in the Business Services sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #7 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 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. Paymentus is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for PAY's full-year earnings has moved 10.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, PAY has gained about 16.5% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Business Services sector has returned an average of 12.5% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Paymentus is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Willdan Group (WLDN). The stock is up 72.7% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Willdan Group's current year EPS has increased 11.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Paymentus belongs to the Technology Services industry, which includes 171 individual stocks and currently sits at #77 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 22% this year, meaning that PAY is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Willdan Group belongs to the Business - Services industry. This 24-stock industry is currently ranked #139. The industry has moved -9.2% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Business Services stocks should continue to pay close attention to Paymentus and Willdan Group as they could maintain their solid performance.

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