Investors interested in Business Services stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Nomura Research Institute (NRILY) 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.

Nomura Research Institute is a member of our Business Services group, which includes 317 different companies and currently sits at #7 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. Nomura Research Institute is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NRILY's full-year earnings has moved 9% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, NRILY has returned 30.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Business Services sector has returned an average of 15.7% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Nomura Research Institute is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Business Services sector, Republic Services (RSG), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 21.8%.

For Republic Services, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Nomura Research Institute belongs to the Technology Services industry, which includes 171 individual stocks and currently sits at #78 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 32.3% so far this year, meaning that NRILY is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

Republic Services, however, belongs to the Waste Removal Services industry. Currently, this 19-stock industry is ranked #190. The industry has moved +17% so far this year.

Investors with an interest in Business Services stocks should continue to track Nomura Research Institute and Republic Services. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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