For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. AnaptysBio, Inc. (ANAB) 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.

AnaptysBio, Inc. is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1022 different companies and currently sits at #3 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 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. AnaptysBio, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ANAB's full-year earnings has moved 11.9% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that ANAB has returned about 4% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of 0.5% on a year-to-date basis. This means that AnaptysBio, Inc. is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Medical sector, Castle Biosciences, Inc. (CSTL), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 38.1%.

Over the past three months, Castle Biosciences, Inc.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 93.7%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, AnaptysBio, Inc. belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, which includes 504 individual stocks and currently sits at #65 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 7% so far this year, so ANAB is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. Castle Biosciences, Inc. is also part of the same industry.

Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track AnaptysBio, Inc. and Castle Biosciences, Inc. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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