For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AVIR) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a member of our Medical group, which includes 1017 different companies and currently sits at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AVIR's full-year earnings has moved 13.9% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that AVIR has returned about 25.9% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of 11.6% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Medical sector, McKesson (MCK), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 19%.

For McKesson, 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, Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, a group that includes 497 individual stocks and currently sits at #83 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 1.5% so far this year, meaning that AVIR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, McKesson belongs to the Medical - Dental Supplies industry. This 15-stock industry is currently ranked #169. The industry has moved +1.5% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Medical stocks should continue to track Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and McKesson. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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