For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Excelerate Energy (EE) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Oils-Energy peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Excelerate Energy is one of 239 individual stocks in the Oils-Energy sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #12 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. Excelerate Energy is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EE's full-year earnings has moved 7.7% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, EE has returned 97.6% so far this year. In comparison, Oils-Energy companies have returned an average of 1.2%. This means that Excelerate Energy is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Oils-Energy sector, YPF Sociedad Anonima (YPF), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 148.9%.

In YPF Sociedad Anonima's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 46.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Excelerate Energy is a member of the Alternative Energy - Other industry, which includes 43 individual companies and currently sits at #76 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 59.1% this year, meaning that EE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, YPF Sociedad Anonima belongs to the Oil and Gas - Integrated - International industry. This 14-stock industry is currently ranked #134. The industry has moved -1.6% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to pay close attention to Excelerate Energy and YPF Sociedad Anonima as they could maintain their solid performance.

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