What does outperform mean?
You may have heard the term “outperform” while browsing through articles and news about securities. But what does it mean? Analysts would often say this, and when they do, they talk about a rating when they research and recommend securities. One thing is for sure: if an analyst says that a specific security’s rating became outperform when it used to be market perform or underperform, know that this is good news. It means that their analysis changed. They now believe that this particular security will have more returns in the future compared to major market indices.
Sometimes, people also say the term “outperform” when they compare investment returns. Let’s say we have two investment choices. The one with more returns is the one that outperforms. We can most likely encounter them when comparing an investment and the market. It is not uncommon for professionals to compare investment returns. They do this with the benchmark index like the S&P 500. Hence we use the term when we talk about investments and whether they outperformed S&P 500 or not.
Entities and the term outperform
We have mentioned indices earlier. What does it mean? It refers to securities from the same industry. It can also refer to securities of companies with the same size relative to market capitalization. Factors that contribute to helping a company have more revenue and profit against its peers in an industry group will witness the share price increase or appreciate faster. How or why does this happen? There are plenty of reasons why this can occur, and these include effective management decisions, network connections, or market preferences. Sometimes, it can also be because of luck.
Senior management plays a significant role in making its revenue and earnings grow faster than its competitors. Good decisions equal excellent management. All of these help a company create a reputation that it can introduce a new product to the market instantaneously. Not only that, this product has a vast potential to attract more market shares. This is why analysts exist. They study and pinpoint these conditions to make a forecast related to price appreciation for companies with outstanding performance.
Let’s say that an investment fund uses an S&P 500 benchmark. The portfolio manager analyzes the funds, and he saw that the stocks have the same market capitalization as securities in the index. He makes forecasts that 20 specific stocks will have more rate of earnings per share or EPS than the index average. Hence, the mutual funds raise their holding in those 20 stocks expected to outperform the index.
Let us cite an example.
In general, we already have an idea of what ratings mean. Even TV shows get them. The show has more ratings if more people watch and prioritize it over the other. The same logic applies to stocks and other securities. An analyst gives out ratings for a company’s stock and its rate of return. This considers its price appreciation and dividends given to shareholders. Analysts have their own styles and standards when it comes to their method of providing ratings. But all we know is that the more possibilities that the stock price will outperform for a given time frame the higher the rating.
