Have you been paying attention to shares of Piper Sandler (PIPR)? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 19.3% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $189.98 in the previous session. Piper Sandler has gained 87.9% since the start of the year compared to the 23.8% move for the Zacks Finance sector and the 38.2% return for the Zacks Financial - Investment Bank industry.What's Driving the Outperformance?The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on October 29, 2021, Piper Sandler Companies reported EPS of $4.55 versus consensus estimate of $3.6.For the current fiscal year, Piper Sandler Companies is expected to post earnings of $19.11 per share on $1.82 billion in revenues. This represents a 90.72% change in EPS on a 46.22% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $14 per share on $1.61 billion in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of -26.74% and -11.89%, respectively.Valuation MetricsPiper Sandler Companies may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company has run ahead of itself.On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.Piper Sandler Companies has a Value Score of B. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are A and D, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of A.In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 9.9X current fiscal year EPS estimates. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 14.3X versus its peer group's average of 14.3X. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.Zacks RankWe also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, Piper Sandler Companies currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Piper Sandler Companies fits the bill. Thus, it seems as though Piper Sandler Companies shares could have potential in the weeks and months to come. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 77 billion devices by 2025, creating a $1.3 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 4 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2022.Click here for the 4 trades >>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 Piper Sandler Companies (PIPR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research