The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has CME Group (CME) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.

CME Group is one of 859 individual stocks in the Finance sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 in 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. CME Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CME's full-year earnings has moved 6.5% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, CME has returned 12.6% so far this year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of -3.8%. This means that CME Group is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

British Land Company PLC Sponsored ADR (BTLCY) is another Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 4%.

For British Land Company PLC Sponsored ADR, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, CME Group belongs to the Securities and Exchanges industry, a group that includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #8 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 5.3% so far this year, meaning that CME is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, British Land Company PLC Sponsored ADR belongs to the Real Estate - Operations industry. This 34-stock industry is currently ranked #167. The industry has moved -13.7% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track CME Group and British Land Company PLC Sponsored ADR. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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CME Group Inc. (CME):Free Stock Analysis Report

British Land Company PLC Sponsored ADR (BTLCY):Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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