The Consumer Discretionary group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Adtalem Global Education (ATGE) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Adtalem Global Education is one of 270 companies in the Consumer Discretionary group. The Consumer Discretionary group currently sits at #9 within 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 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. Adtalem Global Education is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATGE's full-year earnings has moved 3.2% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, ATGE has moved about 37.3% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Consumer Discretionary companies have returned an average of 5.5%. This means that Adtalem Global Education is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Consumer Discretionary sector, Mattel (MAT), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 7.9%.

For Mattel, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Adtalem Global Education belongs to the Schools industry, which includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #24 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 5.2% so far this year, meaning that ATGE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Mattel, however, belongs to the Toys - Games - Hobbies industry. Currently, this 4-stock industry is ranked #99. The industry has moved +8.8% so far this year.

Investors interested in the Consumer Discretionary sector may want to keep a close eye on Adtalem Global Education and Mattel as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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