The Aerospace group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Heico Corporation (HEI) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Aerospace sector should help us answer this question.

Heico Corporation is a member of our Aerospace group, which includes 46 different companies and currently sits at #7 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. Heico Corporation is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for HEI's full-year earnings has moved 0.4% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that HEI has returned about 52.8% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Aerospace companies have returned an average of 3.8%. As we can see, Heico Corporation is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Aerospace stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Leidos (LDOS). The stock has returned 52.8% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Leidos' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 12.1%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Heico Corporation belongs to the Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry, a group that includes 23 individual companies and currently sits at #61 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 33.1% so far this year, so HEI is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Leidos belongs to the Aerospace - Defense industry. This 22-stock industry is currently ranked #178. The industry has moved -4.9% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Aerospace stocks should continue to track Heico Corporation and Leidos. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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