The Medical group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is UnitedHealth Group (UNH Quick QuoteUNH - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? 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.

UnitedHealth Group is one of 1044 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #16 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for UNH's full-year earnings has moved 0.73% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, UNH has moved about 17.58% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Medical sector has returned an average of -3.16% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, UnitedHealth Group is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Looking more specifically, UNH belongs to the Medical - HMOs industry, a group that includes 10 individual stocks and currently sits at #108 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 15.70% so far this year, so UNH is performing better in this area.

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