Investors interested in Industrial Products stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Barnes Group (B Quick QuoteB - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Industrial Products peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Barnes Group is one of 208 companies in the Industrial Products group. The Industrial Products group currently sits at #7 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 model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. B is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for B's full-year earnings has moved 5.24% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, B has returned 6.01% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Industrial Products group have lost about 7.27% on average. This means that Barnes Group is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, B belongs to the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, a group that includes 39 individual stocks and currently sits at #82 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 1.63% so far this year, meaning that B is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

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