Investors in the Finance sector often find themselves seeking out companies that stand out from the crowd. One such company under the spotlight is Morgan Stanley (MS). Let's delve deep into its year-to-date performance and compare it with another Finance stock, Banc of California (BANC).

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Performance of Morgan Stanley

The Finance group boasts a plethora of excellent stocks. Morgan Stanley, being one of 871 companies in this group, currently holds a prominent position. It sits at #1 within the Zacks Sector Rank, which considers 16 different groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of individual stocks within the sector. The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. Morgan Stanley currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).In the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MS' full-year earnings has moved 4.2% higher. This indicates an improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend. Based on the most recent data, MS has returned 36.8% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector as a whole has returned an average of 25.1% on a year-to-date basis. This clearly shows that Morgan Stanley is outperforming the sector.Morgan Stanley belongs to the Financial – Investment Bank industry, which consists of 15 individual companies and currently ranks #44 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 42.9% so far this year, meaning MS is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

Performance of Banc of California

Another Finance stock that has been making waves is Banc of California. The stock has returned 26.5% year-to-date. In Banc of California's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 14.1% over the past three months. It currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Banc of California falls under the Banks – Southwest industry, which has 19 stocks and is ranked #14. Since the beginning of the year, this industry has moved +29.7%.Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should keep a close eye on both Morgan Stanley and Banc of California. These stocks have shown solid performance and could continue to do so.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report.Morgan Stanley (MS) : Free Stock Analysis Report