For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Agenus (AGEN) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Agenus is one of 1010 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #1 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 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. Agenus is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AGEN's full-year earnings has moved 13.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, AGEN has returned 27% so far this year. At the same time, Medical stocks have lost an average of 4.6%. This means that Agenus is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Medical sector, Abbott (ABT), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 0.3%.

In Abbott's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 0% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Agenus belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, a group that includes 512 individual companies and currently sits at #66 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 13.6% this year, meaning that AGEN is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Abbott, however, belongs to the Medical - Products industry. Currently, this 82-stock industry is ranked #77. The industry has moved +14.4% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Agenus and Abbott as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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