For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is National Fuel Gas (NFG) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

National Fuel Gas is a member of our Oils-Energy group, which includes 246 different companies and currently sits at #14 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

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. National Fuel Gas is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NFG's full-year earnings has moved 2.5% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, NFG has moved about 35.3% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Oils-Energy sector has returned an average of -7% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that National Fuel Gas is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. (NNE). The stock is up 0.9% year-to-date.

For Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 37% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, National Fuel Gas is a member of the Oil and Gas - Integrated - United States industry, which includes 15 individual companies and currently sits at #73 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 10.5% so far this year, meaning that NFG is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. belongs to the Alternative Energy - Other industry. This 44-stock industry is currently ranked #158. The industry has moved +9% year to date.

Investors interested in the Oils-Energy sector may want to keep a close eye on National Fuel Gas and Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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National Fuel Gas Company (NFG):Free Stock Analysis Report

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Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. (NNE):Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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