For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has National Fuel Gas (NFG) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

National Fuel Gas is one of 240 individual stocks in the Oils-Energy sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #14 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. National Fuel Gas is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NFG's full-year earnings has moved 5.3% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that NFG has returned about 21.2% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Oils-Energy group have gained about 5.4% on average. This shows that National Fuel Gas is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is ProPetro Holding (PUMP). The stock is up 12.4% year-to-date.

For ProPetro Holding, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 10.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, National Fuel Gas belongs to the Oil and Gas - Integrated - United States industry, a group that includes 14 individual companies and currently sits at #200 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 10.9% so far this year, meaning that NFG is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

ProPetro Holding, however, belongs to the Oil and Gas - Field Services industry. Currently, this 23-stock industry is ranked #73. The industry has moved -2.9% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Oils-Energy sector may want to keep a close eye on National Fuel Gas and ProPetro Holding as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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