The Oils-Energy group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has FMC Technologies (FTI) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

FMC Technologies is one of 242 companies in the Oils-Energy group. The Oils-Energy group currently sits at #16 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. FMC Technologies is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FTI's full-year earnings has moved 8.7% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, FTI has returned 29.6% so far this year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 2.8%. This means that FMC Technologies is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Oils-Energy sector, Viper Energy Partners (VNOM), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 63.1%.

In Viper Energy Partners' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 4.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, FMC Technologies is a member of the Oil and Gas - Field Services industry, which includes 23 individual companies and currently sits at #147 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 10.2% so far this year, so FTI is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Viper Energy Partners belongs to the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry. This 34-stock industry is currently ranked #232. The industry has moved +2.4% year to date.

Investors interested in the Oils-Energy sector may want to keep a close eye on FMC Technologies and Viper Energy Partners as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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