The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Barrett Business Services (BBSI) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Business Services sector should help us answer this question.

Barrett Business Services 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 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Barrett Business Services is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BBSI's full-year earnings has moved 0.1% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, BBSI has gained about 19.4% so far this year. At the same time, Business Services stocks have gained an average of 9.1%. As we can see, Barrett Business Services is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Business Services sector, ICF International (ICFI), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 18.8%.

In ICF International's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 4.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Barrett Business Services belongs to the Outsourcing industry, which includes 12 individual stocks and currently sits at #88 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 11.8% so far this year, so BBSI is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, ICF International falls under the Government Services industry. Currently, this industry has 3 stocks and is ranked #29. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +15.7%.

Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on Barrett Business Services and ICF International as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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