The Transportation group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Alaska Air Group (ALK) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Transportation sector should help us answer this question.

Alaska Air Group is a member of the Transportation sector. This group includes 131 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #15. 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. Alaska Air Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALK's full-year earnings has moved 5.6% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that ALK has returned about 1.2% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Transportation sector has returned an average of -2.6% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Alaska Air Group is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Transportation sector, Joby Aviation, Inc. (JOBY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 26.3%.

For Joby Aviation, Inc. the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 6.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Alaska Air Group is a member of the Transportation - Airline industry, which includes 28 individual companies and currently sits at #51 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 34.3% so far this year, meaning that ALK is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns. Joby Aviation, Inc. is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Transportation sector may want to keep a close eye on Alaska Air Group and Joby Aviation, Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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