Investors focused on the Finance space have likely heard of Artisan Partners Asset Management (APAM Quick QuoteAPAM - Free Report) , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Finance sector should help us answer this question.

Artisan Partners Asset Management is a member of our Finance group, which includes 894 different companies and currently sits at #11 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. APAM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for APAM's full-year earnings has moved 25.97% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that APAM has returned about 10.68% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Finance stocks have lost an average of 17.37%. This means that Artisan Partners Asset Management is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Looking more specifically, APAM belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry, which includes 48 individual stocks and currently sits at #38 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 1.16% so far this year, so APAM is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

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