Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has UnitedHealth Group (UNH Quick QuoteUNH - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

UnitedHealth Group is a member of our Medical group, which includes 763 different companies and currently sits at #11 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. UNH is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UNH's full-year earnings has moved 0.79% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, UNH has gained about 11.21% so far this year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of -0.78%. This means that UnitedHealth Group is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Looking more specifically, UNH belongs to the Medical - HMOs industry, a group that includes 13 individual stocks and currently sits at #58 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 8.67% so far this year, so UNH is performing better in this area.

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