The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Middlesex Water (MSEX) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.Middlesex Water is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 104 different companies and currently sits at #6 in the Zacks Sector R ...

Group 1 - Middlesex Water (MSEX) is currently outperforming its peers in the Utilities sector, with a year-to-date return of approximately 13.1% compared to the sector average of 2.8% [4] - The Zacks Rank for Middlesex Water is 2 (Buy), indicating a positive earnings outlook and improving analyst sentiment, as the consensus estimate for full-year earnings has increased by 1.3% over the past 90 days [3][4] - Middlesex Water belongs to the Utility - Water Supply industry, which has gained an average of 9.3% this year, further highlighting its strong performance within its specific industry [6] Group 2 - NiSource (NI) is another stock in the Utilities sector that has shown solid performance, with a year-to-date return of 8.2% and a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [5] - The consensus EPS estimate for NiSource has increased by 2.7% over the past three months, indicating a positive trend in earnings expectations [5] - NiSource operates in the Utility - Electric Power industry, which has seen a gain of 3.3% this year, ranking 88 among 60 stocks in that industry [6]