The Aerospace group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS Quick QuoteKTOS - 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? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of KTOS and the rest of the Aerospace group's stocks.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is one of 41 individual stocks in the Aerospace sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #8 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. KTOS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for KTOS's full-year earnings has moved 36.11% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, KTOS has moved about 7.27% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Aerospace group have gained about 4.37% on average. This means that Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Looking more specifically, KTOS belongs to the Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry, a group that includes 25 individual stocks and currently sits at #188 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 5.39% so far this year, so KTOS is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

KTOS will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested Aerospace stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.