The Construction group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Armstrong World Industries (AWI) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Armstrong World Industries is a member of the Construction sector. This group includes 87 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #16. 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. Armstrong World Industries is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AWI's full-year earnings has moved 0.5% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, AWI has moved about 5.7% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Construction companies have returned an average of -1.2%. This means that Armstrong World Industries is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Acuity Brands (AYI) is another Construction stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 10%.

For Acuity Brands, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Armstrong World Industries belongs to the Building Products - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 27 individual companies and currently sits at #172 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 3.8% this year, meaning that AWI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Acuity Brands falls under the Building Products - Lighting industry. Currently, this industry has 3 stocks and is ranked #184. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +9.6%.

Investors with an interest in Construction stocks should continue to track Armstrong World Industries and Acuity Brands. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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