The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Huron Consulting (HURN) 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Business Services sector should help us answer this question.

Huron Consulting is a member of our Business Services group, which includes 305 different companies and currently sits at #3 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Huron Consulting is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HURN's full-year earnings has moved 2.7% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, HURN has moved about 20.9% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Business Services group have gained about 20.6% on average. This means that Huron Consulting is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Business Services stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is NextNav Inc. (NN). The stock has returned 273.5% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, NextNav Inc.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 8.6%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Huron Consulting is a member of the Consulting Services industry, which includes 13 individual companies and currently sits at #71 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 4.3% so far this year, so HURN is performing better in this area.

In contrast, NextNav Inc. falls under the Technology Services industry. Currently, this industry has 162 stocks and is ranked #52. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +53.4%.

Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on Huron Consulting and NextNav Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Huron Consulting Group Inc. (HURN) : Free Stock Analysis Report

NextNav Inc. (NN) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research