The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Artisan Partners Asset Management (APAM Quick QuoteAPAM - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Artisan Partners Asset Management is a member of our Finance group, which includes 844 different companies and currently sits at #6 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. APAM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for APAM's full-year earnings has moved 7.46% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, APAM has gained about 4.49% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of -1.32% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Artisan Partners Asset Management is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Looking more specifically, APAM belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry, a group that includes 48 individual stocks and currently sits at #12 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 4.86% so far this year, meaning that APAM is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

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