For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Banco BBVA (BBAR) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Banco BBVA is one of 875 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #3 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. Banco BBVA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBAR's full-year earnings has moved 46.7% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, BBAR has gained about 22.1% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 21.3% on average. As we can see, Banco BBVA is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

FlexShopper Inc. (FPAY) is another Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 25.7%.

The consensus estimate for FlexShopper Inc.'s current year EPS has increased 44.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Banco BBVA belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry, a group that includes 68 individual stocks and currently sits at #136 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 15.5% so far this year, meaning that BBAR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

FlexShopper Inc. however, belongs to the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry. Currently, this 88-stock industry is ranked #51. The industry has moved +15.8% so far this year.

Banco BBVA and FlexShopper Inc. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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