Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Alexander's (ALX) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Alexander's is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 859 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #2. 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 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. Alexander's is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALX's full-year earnings has moved 15% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, ALX has gained about 5.3% so far this year. At the same time, Finance stocks have gained an average of 2.4%. This shows that Alexander's is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another stock in the Finance sector, Banco Bilbao (BBVA), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 41.2%.

The consensus estimate for Banco Bilbao's current year EPS has increased 9.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Alexander's belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry, a group that includes 96 individual companies and currently sits at #165 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 4.3% so far this year, so ALX is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Banco Bilbao, however, belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry. Currently, this 66-stock industry is ranked #29. The industry has moved +10.2% so far this year.

Alexander's and Banco Bilbao could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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

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