Investors focused on the Business Services space have likely heard of Mastercard (MA Quick QuoteMA - 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 Business Services peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Mastercard is a member of our Business Services group, which includes 166 different companies and currently sits at #3 in 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. MA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MA's full-year earnings has moved 6.62% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, MA has moved about 34.26% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Business Services group have gained about 13.77% on average. This means that Mastercard is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, MA belongs to the Financial Transaction Services industry, a group that includes 24 individual stocks and currently sits at #43 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 19.94% so far this year, meaning that MA is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

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