Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Artisan Partners Asset Management (APAM Quick QuoteAPAM - Free Report) 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 Finance sector should help us answer this question.

Artisan Partners Asset Management is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 890 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. 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 model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. APAM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APAM's full-year earnings has moved 27.05% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that APAM has returned about 12.78% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have lost about 15.11% on average. This shows that Artisan Partners Asset Management is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Breaking things down more, APAM is a member of the Financial - Investment Management industry, which includes 47 individual companies and currently sits at #92 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 4.26% so far this year, so APAM is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors in the Finance sector will want to keep a close eye on APAM as it attempts to continue its solid performance.