Is NiSource (NI) Stock Outpacing Its Utilities Peers This Year?

Group 1 - NiSource (NI) is currently outperforming its peers in the Utilities sector, with a year-to-date return of approximately 14%, compared to the sector average of 11.2% [4][5] - NiSource holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating a positive outlook based on earnings estimates and revisions [3][5] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NiSource's full-year earnings has increased by 0.1% over the past quarter, reflecting improving analyst sentiment [3] Group 2 - The Utilities sector consists of 108 individual stocks and currently has a Zacks Sector Rank of 1, indicating strong overall performance [2] - NiSource is part of the Utility - Electric Power industry, which includes 59 stocks and is ranked 74 in the Zacks Industry Rank, with stocks in this group gaining about 11.2% year-to-date [5] - Another outperforming stock in the Utilities sector is Telefonica (TEF), which has returned 34.3% year-to-date and also holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [4][6]