The Transportation group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (ICAGY) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Transportation sector should help us answer this question.

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA is one of 135 individual stocks in the Transportation sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #12 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. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ICAGY's full-year earnings has moved 8.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, ICAGY has gained about 25% so far this year. At the same time, Transportation stocks have lost an average of 4.6%. As we can see, International Consolidated Airlines Group SA is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Transportation sector, Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp (SHIP), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 31.3%.

In Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 35.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, International Consolidated Airlines Group SA belongs to the Transportation - Airline industry, which includes 31 individual stocks and currently sits at #204 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 11.1% so far this year, so ICAGY is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp falls under the Transportation - Shipping industry. Currently, this industry has 43 stocks and is ranked #102. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +14%.

Investors interested in the Transportation sector may want to keep a close eye on International Consolidated Airlines Group SA and Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp as they attempt to continue their solid performance.