Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Medtronic (MDT Quick QuoteMDT - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? 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.

Medtronic is a member of the Medical sector. This group includes 845 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #2. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. MDT is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MDT's full-year earnings has moved 0.08% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, MDT has returned 14.07% so far this year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of 1.45%. This means that Medtronic is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, MDT belongs to the Medical - Products industry, which includes 74 individual stocks and currently sits at #85 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 0.31% this year, meaning that MDT is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

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