For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is BlackRock Finance (BLK) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

BlackRock Finance is a member of our Finance group, which includes 872 different companies and currently sits 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 is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. BlackRock Finance is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLK's full-year earnings has moved 4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, BLK has gained about 25% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 19.3%. This means that BlackRock Finance 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 Brixmor Property (BRX). The stock has returned 21.8% year-to-date.

For Brixmor Property, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, BlackRock Finance belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry, a group that includes 37 individual companies and currently sits at #20 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 31.7% so far this year, meaning that BLK is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

Brixmor Property, however, belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust - Retail industry. Currently, this 20-stock industry is ranked #91. The industry has moved +8.5% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on BlackRock Finance and Brixmor Property as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Brixmor Property Group Inc. (BRX) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research