Investors focused on the Medical space have likely heard of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX Quick QuoteVRTX - 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.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is one of 892 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #1 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. VRTX is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for VRTX's full-year earnings has moved 13.22% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, VRTX has moved about 24.06% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Medical stocks have lost an average of 2.71%. This shows that Vertex Pharmaceuticals is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Looking more specifically, VRTX belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, which includes 382 individual stocks and currently sits at #11 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 5.37% so far this year, so VRTX is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

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