The Consumer Staples group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Altria (MO) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Staples peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Altria is one of 180 individual stocks in the Consumer Staples sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #14 in 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 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. Altria is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MO's full-year earnings has moved 0.9% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, MO has returned 2.2% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Staples companies have returned an average of -0.6%. This shows that Altria is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Simply Good Foods (SMPL). The stock is up 0.9% year-to-date.

For Simply Good Foods, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Altria belongs to the Tobacco industry, which includes 5 individual stocks and currently sits at #90 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 39.1% so far this year, meaning that MO is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Simply Good Foods falls under the Food - Confectionery industry. Currently, this industry has 2 stocks and is ranked #218. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -15.6%.

Going forward, investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to pay close attention to Altria and Simply Good Foods as they could maintain 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

Altria Group, Inc. (MO) : Free Stock Analysis Report

The Simply Good Foods Company (SMPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research