The Oils-Energy group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Bloom Energy (BE) 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? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Oils-Energy peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Bloom Energy is one of 247 companies in the Oils-Energy group. The Oils-Energy group currently sits at #8 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. Bloom Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BE's full-year earnings has moved 145.9% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, BE has returned 8.6% so far this year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have lost an average of 2.3%. As we can see, Bloom Energy 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 Repsol SA (REPYY). The stock is up 5.7% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Repsol SA's current year EPS has increased 1.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Bloom Energy belongs to the Alternative Energy - Other industry, a group that includes 47 individual companies and currently sits at #82 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 2.3% so far this year, so BE is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Repsol SA falls under the Oil and Gas - Integrated - International industry. Currently, this industry has 14 stocks and is ranked #53. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +1.5%.

Investors interested in the Oils-Energy sector may want to keep a close eye on Bloom Energy and Repsol SA as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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

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