Investors focused on the Medical space have likely heard of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD Quick QuoteGILD - 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.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is one of 892 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #1 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. GILD is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GILD's full-year earnings has moved 0.31% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, GILD has returned 21.79% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Medical group have lost about 3.01% on average. This shows that Gilead Sciences, Inc. is outperforming its peers so far this year.

To break things down more, GILD belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, a group that includes 382 individual companies and currently sits at #16 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 3.89% so far this year, so GILD is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

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