The Oils-Energy group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Arc Resources (AETUF) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Oils-Energy sector should help us answer this question.

Arc Resources is a member of our Oils-Energy group, which includes 239 different companies and currently sits at #9 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 proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Arc Resources is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AETUF's full-year earnings has moved 0.4% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, AETUF has gained about 18.3% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Oils-Energy sector has returned an average of 2.6% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Arc Resources is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Oils-Energy stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Cheniere Energy (LNG). The stock has returned 23.3% year-to-date.

For Cheniere Energy, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 15.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Arc Resources belongs to the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - Canadian industry, which includes 6 individual stocks and currently sits at #161 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 5.7% so far this year, so AETUF is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Cheniere Energy belongs to the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry. This 34-stock industry is currently ranked #132. The industry has moved +4.6% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to track Arc Resources and Cheniere Energy. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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