Investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Baidu Inc. (BIDU) 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.

Baidu Inc. is one of 604 companies in the Computer and Technology group. The Computer and Technology group currently sits at #4 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Baidu Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BIDU's full-year earnings has moved 2.5% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, BIDU has returned 3.4% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Computer and Technology sector has returned an average of -5.8% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Baidu Inc. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Computer and Technology stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Genius Sports Limited (GENI). The stock is up 7.6% year-to-date.

In Genius Sports Limited's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 166.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Baidu Inc. belongs to the Internet - Services industry, a group that includes 34 individual companies and currently sits at #85 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 8.3% so far this year, so BIDU is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Genius Sports Limited falls under the Internet - Content industry. Currently, this industry has 13 stocks and is ranked #70. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +5.8%.

Going forward, investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to Baidu Inc. and Genius Sports Limited as they could maintain their solid performance.

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

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