The Consumer Staples group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Freshpet (FRPT) 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 Consumer Staples peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Freshpet is one of 184 companies in the Consumer Staples group. The Consumer Staples group currently sits at #13 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. Freshpet is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for FRPT's full-year earnings has moved 25.6% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, FRPT has returned 54.1% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Staples companies have returned an average of 3.1%. This shows that Freshpet is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Philip Morris (PM) is another Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 38.9%.

In Philip Morris' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 1.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Freshpet belongs to the Food - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 46 individual stocks and currently sits at #141 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 1.1% so far this year, so FRPT is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Philip Morris falls under the Tobacco industry. Currently, this industry has 6 stocks and is ranked #49. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +35.6%.

Going forward, investors interested in Consumer Staples stocks should continue to pay close attention to Freshpet and Philip Morris as they could maintain their solid performance.

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