The Oils-Energy group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Gevo, Inc. (GEVO) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Oils-Energy sector should help us answer this question.

Gevo, Inc. is one of 240 companies in the Oils-Energy group. The Oils-Energy group currently sits at #14 within 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 proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Gevo, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GEVO's full-year earnings has moved 5.6% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, GEVO has gained about 36.2% so far this year. In comparison, Oils-Energy companies have returned an average of 9.3%. As we can see, Gevo, Inc. is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

One other Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Smart Sand (SND). The stock is up 24.4% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Smart Sand's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 800%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Gevo, Inc. is a member of the Alternative Energy - Other industry, which includes 44 individual companies and currently sits at #124 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 67.5% so far this year, so GEVO is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Smart Sand belongs to the Oil and Gas - Field Services industry. This 23-stock industry is currently ranked #136. The industry has moved +1.9% year to date.

Investors interested in the Oils-Energy sector may want to keep a close eye on Gevo, Inc. and Smart Sand as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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