For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Cairn Energy (CRNCY Quick QuoteCRNCY - Free Report) 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 Oils-Energy sector should help us answer this question.

Cairn Energy is one of 325 individual stocks in the Oils-Energy sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #2 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 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. CRNCY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRNCY's full-year earnings has moved 1.19% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, CRNCY has gained about 7.22% so far this year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 7.13%. This shows that Cairn Energy is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Looking more specifically, CRNCY belongs to the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - International industry, a group that includes 14 individual stocks and currently sits at #17 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 17.72% so far this year, so CRNCY is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

Investors in the Oils-Energy sector will want to keep a close eye on CRNCY as it attempts to continue its solid performance.