Investors focused on the Business Services space have likely heard of Mastercard (MA Quick QuoteMA - 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.

Mastercard is one of 166 individual stocks in the Business Services sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 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 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. MA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MA's full-year earnings has moved 6.54% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, MA has gained about 26.32% so far this year. At the same time, Business Services stocks have gained an average of 9.63%. This means that Mastercard is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Looking more specifically, MA belongs to the Financial Transaction Services industry, which includes 24 individual stocks and currently sits at #95 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 14.27% this year, meaning that MA is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors with an interest in Business Services stocks should continue to track MA. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.