The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is CenterPoint Energy (CNP) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Utilities peers, we might be able to answer that question.

CenterPoint Energy is one of 106 individual stocks in the Utilities sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #1 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. CenterPoint Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CNP's full-year earnings has moved 0.3% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, CNP has returned 20.5% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Utilities group have gained about 6.7% on average. As we can see, CenterPoint Energy is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Utilities stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Atmos Energy (ATO). The stock has returned 14.7% year-to-date.

For Atmos Energy, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, CenterPoint Energy belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, a group that includes 60 individual stocks and currently sits at #38 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 7.3% so far this year, meaning that CNP is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Atmos Energy belongs to the Utility - Gas Distribution industry. This 14-stock industry is currently ranked #28. The industry has moved -1.7% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Utilities stocks should continue to track CenterPoint Energy and Atmos Energy. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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