For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Arbutus Biopharma (ABUS) 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? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Medical sector should help us answer this question.

Arbutus Biopharma is one of 1021 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #3 in 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Arbutus Biopharma is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ABUS' full-year earnings has moved 2.6% 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, ABUS has returned 44.8% so far this year. At the same time, Medical stocks have gained an average of 4.5%. This shows that Arbutus Biopharma is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Annexon, Inc. (ANNX) is another Medical stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 19.2%.

For Annexon, Inc. the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 28.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Arbutus Biopharma belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, a group that includes 499 individual stocks and currently sits at #93 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 2.9% so far this year, meaning that ABUS is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Annexon, Inc. is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Arbutus Biopharma and Annexon, Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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