For those looking to find strong Aerospace stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Heico Corporation (HEI) 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Aerospace peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Heico Corporation is a member of our Aerospace group, which includes 46 different companies and currently sits at #6 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 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. Heico Corporation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HEI's full-year earnings has moved 2.2% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, HEI has gained about 39% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Aerospace group have gained about 0.8% on average. This means that Heico Corporation is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Aerospace stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Teledyne Technologies (TDY). The stock is up 4.6% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Teledyne Technologies' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Heico Corporation belongs to the Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry, a group that includes 23 individual stocks and currently sits at #146 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 27.5% so far this year, meaning that HEI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Teledyne Technologies is also part of the same industry.

Heico Corporation and Teledyne Technologies could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Aerospace stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

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