Investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Dassault Systemes SA (DASTY) 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.

Dassault Systemes SA is a member of the Computer and Technology sector. This group includes 609 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. 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. Dassault Systemes SA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for DASTY's full-year earnings has moved 1.5% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, DASTY has gained about 9.4% so far this year. In comparison, Computer and Technology companies have returned an average of -16.7%. This means that Dassault Systemes SA is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Computer and Technology sector, Perion Network (PERI), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 2.5%.

In Perion Network's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 4.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Dassault Systemes SA belongs to the Computer - Software industry, a group that includes 32 individual companies and currently sits at #89 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 12.7% so far this year, so DASTY is performing better in this area.

In contrast, Perion Network falls under the Internet - Content industry. Currently, this industry has 12 stocks and is ranked #35. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +8.8%.

Going forward, investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to Dassault Systemes SA and Perion Network as they could maintain their solid performance.

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

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