Investors interested in Aerospace stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Raytheon one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Aerospace peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Raytheon is a member of the Aerospace sector. This group includes 41 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #12. 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. RTN is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RTN's full-year earnings has moved 1.81% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that RTN has returned about 7.28% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Aerospace group have gained about 10.08% on average. This shows that Raytheon is outperforming its peers so far this year.

To break things down more, RTN belongs to the Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry, a group that includes 25 individual companies and currently sits at #199 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 9.80% this year, meaning that RTN is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors with an interest in Aerospace stocks should continue to track RTN. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.