Investors focused on the Oils-Energy space have likely heard of Occidental Petroleum (OXY-Free Report) , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Oils-Energy peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Occidental Petroleum is a member of the Oils-Energy sector. This group includes 295 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #7. 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 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. OXY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for OXY's full-year earnings has moved 0.82% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that OXY has returned about 5.05% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Oils-Energy group have lost about 3.14% on average. This shows that Occidental Petroleum is outperforming its peers so far this year.

To break things down more, OXY belongs to the Oil and Gas - Integrated - United States industry, a group that includes 10 individual companies and currently sits at #66 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 1.62% so far this year, so OXY is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

Going forward, investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to pay close attention to OXY as it looks to continue its solid performance.