For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Imperial Oil (IMO) 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Oils-Energy peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Imperial Oil is a member of our Oils-Energy group, which includes 248 different companies and currently sits at #7 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. Imperial Oil is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IMO's full-year earnings has moved 2.4% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that IMO has returned about 8.4% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 4.5%. This means that Imperial Oil is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Kolibri Global Energy Inc. (KGEI). The stock is up 41.2% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Kolibri Global Energy Inc.'s current year EPS has increased 28.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Imperial Oil belongs to the Oil and Gas - Integrated - Canadian industry, which includes 5 individual stocks and currently sits at #86 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 3.7% this year, meaning that IMO is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Kolibri Global Energy Inc. however, belongs to the Alternative Energy - Other industry. Currently, this 47-stock industry is ranked #60. The industry has moved +13.3% so far this year.

Going forward, investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to pay close attention to Imperial Oil and Kolibri Global Energy Inc. as they could maintain their solid performance.

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