For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ Quick QuoteCNQ - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Canadian Natural Resources is one of 253 companies in the Oils-Energy group. The Oils-Energy group currently sits at #11 within 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. CNQ is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CNQ's full-year earnings has moved 14.06% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, CNQ has returned 40.83% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Oils-Energy group have gained about 22.95% on average. This means that Canadian Natural Resources is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Looking more specifically, CNQ belongs to the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - Canadian industry, a group that includes 5 individual stocks and currently sits at #10 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 47.35% so far this year, so CNQ is slightly underperforming its industry this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors with an interest in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to track CNQ. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.