For those looking to find strong Computer and Technology stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Autohome Inc. (ATHM) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Autohome Inc. is one of 608 individual stocks in the Computer and Technology sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 in 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 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. Autohome Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATHM's full-year earnings has moved 2% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, ATHM has moved about 7.9% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Computer and Technology sector has returned an average of 2.2% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Autohome Inc. is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Computer and Technology sector, Fortinet (FTNT), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 16%.

In Fortinet's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Autohome Inc. belongs to the Internet - Services industry, which includes 34 individual stocks and currently sits at #78 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 0.4% so far this year, so ATHM is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Fortinet, however, belongs to the Internet - Software industry. Currently, this 151-stock industry is ranked #73. The industry has moved +18.4% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Computer and Technology sector may want to keep a close eye on Autohome Inc. and Fortinet as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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