Investors focused on the Utilities space have likely heard of Southern (SO Quick QuoteSO - Free Report) , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Southern is a member of the Utilities sector. This group includes 120 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #9. 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. SO is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SO's full-year earnings has moved 2.18% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that SO has returned about 41.58% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Utilities companies have returned an average of 4.34%. This means that Southern is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Breaking things down more, SO is a member of the Utility - Electric Power industry, which includes 65 individual companies and currently sits at #106 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 20.94% this year, meaning that SO is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors with an interest in Utilities stocks should continue to track SO. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.