The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Atmos Energy (ATO) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Utilities peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Atmos Energy is one of 106 individual stocks in the Utilities sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #2 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 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. Atmos Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATO's full-year earnings has moved 0.1% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, ATO has returned 8.8% so far this year. In comparison, Utilities companies have returned an average of 2.5%. This means that Atmos Energy is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

CenterPoint Energy (CNP) is another Utilities stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 15.3%.

For CenterPoint Energy, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Atmos Energy belongs to the Utility - Gas Distribution industry, a group that includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #92 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 7.9% so far this year, meaning that ATO is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, CenterPoint Energy belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry. This 60-stock industry is currently ranked #59. The industry has moved +3.2% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Utilities stocks should continue to track Atmos Energy and CenterPoint Energy. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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