The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Deutsche Telekom AG (DTEGY) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Utilities sector should help us answer this question.

Deutsche Telekom AG is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 104 different companies and currently sits at #5 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. Deutsche Telekom AG is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for DTEGY's full-year earnings has moved 1.9% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, DTEGY has returned 11.7% so far this year. At the same time, Utilities stocks have gained an average of 8.7%. This means that Deutsche Telekom AG is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Vistra Corp. (VST) is another Utilities stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 12.6%.

For Vistra Corp. the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 11.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Deutsche Telekom AG belongs to the Diversified Communication Services industry, a group that includes 14 individual companies and currently sits at #164 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 15.4% so far this year, so DTEGY is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Vistra Corp. falls under the Utility - Electric Power industry. Currently, this industry has 60 stocks and is ranked #137. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +13.2%.

Investors interested in the Utilities sector may want to keep a close eye on Deutsche Telekom AG and Vistra Corp. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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