Investors interested in Utilities stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. China Resources Power Holdings Co. (CRPJY) 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 Utilities peers, we might be able to answer that question.

China Resources Power Holdings Co. is one of 105 companies in the Utilities group. The Utilities group currently sits at #10 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. China Resources Power Holdings Co. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRPJY's full-year earnings has moved 2.7% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, CRPJY has moved about 26.7% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Utilities stocks have gained an average of 18.7%. This means that China Resources Power Holdings Co. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Utilities stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is NiSource (NI). The stock has returned 42.9% year-to-date.

In NiSource's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 0.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, China Resources Power Holdings Co. belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, a group that includes 60 individual companies and currently sits at #123 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 21.8% so far this year, meaning that CRPJY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. NiSource is also part of the same industry.

Going forward, investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to China Resources Power Holdings Co. and NiSource as they could maintain their solid performance.

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