Investors focused on the Consumer Discretionary space have likely heard of NIKE (NKE Quick QuoteNKE - Free Report) , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

NIKE is one of 238 individual stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Collectively, these companies sit 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 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. NKE is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NKE's full-year earnings has moved 25.78% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that NKE has returned about 21.27% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Consumer Discretionary sector has returned an average of -4.64% on a year-to-date basis. This means that NIKE is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, NKE belongs to the Shoes and Retail Apparel industry, a group that includes 11 individual stocks and currently sits at #27 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 17.64% so far this year, so NKE is performing better in this area.

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