The Oils-Energy group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has EQT Corporation (EQT) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Oils-Energy sector should help us answer this question.

EQT Corporation is one of 247 individual stocks in the Oils-Energy sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. EQT Corporation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EQT's full-year earnings has moved 6% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, EQT has returned 14% so far this year. In comparison, Oils-Energy companies have returned an average of 6%. As we can see, EQT Corporation is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Berry Petroleum (BRY) is another Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 7%.

In Berry Petroleum's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 44.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, EQT Corporation belongs to the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry, a group that includes 34 individual stocks and currently sits at #35 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 11.9% this year, meaning that EQT is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Berry Petroleum belongs to the Oil and Gas - Integrated - United States industry. This 15-stock industry is currently ranked #49. The industry has moved +5.6% year to date.

EQT Corporation and Berry Petroleum could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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

EQT Corporation (EQT) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Berry Corporation (BRY) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research