Investors interested in Utilities stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Exelon (EXC) 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.

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

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EXC's full-year earnings has moved 2.4% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, EXC has returned 23.5% so far this year. In comparison, Utilities companies have returned an average of 6.7%. This means that Exelon is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Utilities stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Tele2 (TLTZY). The stock is up 51.8% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Tele2's current year EPS has increased 21.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Exelon is a member of the Utility - Electric Power industry, which includes 60 individual companies and currently sits at #41 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 7.2% so far this year, meaning that EXC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Tele2 belongs to the Wireline Non-US industry. This 3-stock industry is currently ranked #3. The industry has moved -27.1% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to Exelon and Tele2 as they could maintain their solid performance.

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

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