Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Cardinal Health (CAH) 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 Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Cardinal Health is one of 1024 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #3 within 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. Cardinal Health is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CAH's full-year earnings has moved 2.9% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, CAH has moved about 22.5% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of 3.1%. This means that Cardinal Health is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Medical sector, Adaptive Biotechnologies (ADPT), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 21%.

Over the past three months, Adaptive Biotechnologies' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.6%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Cardinal Health belongs to the Medical - Dental Supplies industry, which includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #85 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 5.8% this year, meaning that CAH is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Adaptive Biotechnologies falls under the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. Currently, this industry has 504 stocks and is ranked #65. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -2.2%.

Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Cardinal Health and Adaptive Biotechnologies as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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