The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Berkshire Hathaway B (BRK.B) 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.

Berkshire Hathaway B is one of 871 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #6 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Berkshire Hathaway B is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BRK.B's full-year earnings has moved 5.4% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, BRK.B has gained about 27% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 16.5%. This means that Berkshire Hathaway B is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Axis Capital (AXS). The stock has returned 43.6% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Axis Capital's current year EPS has increased 5.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Berkshire Hathaway B is a member of the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, which includes 40 individual companies and currently sits at #16 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 26.6% so far this year, so BRK.B is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Axis Capital is also part of the same industry.

Berkshire Hathaway B and Axis Capital could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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