Investors focused on the Medical space have likely heard of Centene (CNC Quick QuoteCNC - Free Report) , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Centene is a member of our Medical group, which includes 838 different companies and currently sits 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 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. CNC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CNC's full-year earnings has moved 2.63% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, CNC has gained about 9.11% so far this year. At the same time, Medical stocks have gained an average of 5.03%. This means that Centene is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Looking more specifically, CNC belongs to the Medical - HMOs industry, which includes 11 individual stocks and currently sits at #28 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 4.46% so far this year, so CNC is performing better in this area.

Going forward, investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to CNC as it looks to continue its solid performance.