For those looking to find strong Aerospace stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Air Industries (AIRI) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Aerospace peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Air Industries is one of 46 individual stocks in the Aerospace sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #1 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Air Industries is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AIRI's full-year earnings has moved 92.3% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, AIRI has moved about 81.9% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Aerospace stocks have gained an average of 6.2%. This means that Air Industries is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Aerospace stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Leonardo DRS, Inc. (DRS). The stock is up 46.1% year-to-date.

For Leonardo DRS, Inc. the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 5.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Air Industries belongs to the Aerospace - Defense industry, a group that includes 22 individual stocks and currently sits at #23 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 0.4% so far this year, meaning that AIRI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Leonardo DRS, Inc. falls under the Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry. Currently, this industry has 23 stocks and is ranked #48. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +28.2%.

Investors interested in the Aerospace sector may want to keep a close eye on Air Industries and Leonardo DRS, Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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