The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Barclays (BCS) 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 Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Barclays is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 867 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Barclays is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BCS' full-year earnings has moved 31% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, BCS has gained about 17.5% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 2.3%. This means that Barclays is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Banco Do Brasil SA (BDORY). The stock has returned 28% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Banco Do Brasil SA's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 9.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Barclays belongs to the Banks - Foreign industry, a group that includes 68 individual companies and currently sits at #47 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 12.1% this year, meaning that BCS is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Banco Do Brasil SA is also part of the same industry.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Barclays and Banco Do Brasil SA. 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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