Investors focused on the Finance space have likely heard of Aflac (AFL Quick QuoteAFL - Free Report) , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of AFL and the rest of the Finance group's stocks.

Aflac is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 855 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #8. 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 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. AFL is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AFL's full-year earnings has moved 1.05% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that AFL has returned about 12.82% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Finance companies have returned an average of 12.68%. This shows that Aflac is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Looking more specifically, AFL belongs to the Insurance - Accident and Health industry, which includes 5 individual stocks and currently sits at #103 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 12.25% so far this year, so AFL is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

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