For those looking to find strong Industrial Products stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is MRC Global (MRC Quick QuoteMRC - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Industrial Products peers, we might be able to answer that question.

MRC Global is one of 209 individual stocks in the Industrial Products sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #3 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 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. MRC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MRC's full-year earnings has moved 21.26% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, MRC has returned 20.15% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Industrial Products sector has returned an average of -10.10% on a year-to-date basis. This means that MRC Global is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

To break things down more, MRC belongs to the Steel - Pipe and Tube industry, a group that includes 4 individual companies and currently sits at #19 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 7.13% so far this year, meaning that MRC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

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