For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. BankFinancial (BFIN) 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.BankFinancial is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 894 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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 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. BankFinancial is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BFIN's full-year earnings has moved 9.8% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.Our latest available data shows that BFIN has returned about 1.4% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Finance stocks have lost an average of 3.1%. This means that BankFinancial is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is EPR Properties (EPR). The stock is up 8.9% year-to-date.Over the past three months, EPR Properties' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.1%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).To break things down more, BankFinancial belongs to the Financial - Savings and Loan industry, a group that includes 36 individual companies and currently sits at #55 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 3.8% so far this year, meaning that BFIN is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.On the other hand, EPR Properties belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust - Retail industry. This 25-stock industry is currently ranked #97. The industry has moved -11.3% year to date.Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on BankFinancial and EPR Properties as they attempt to continue their solid performance. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops." Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +25.4% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report BankFinancial Corporation (BFIN): Free Stock Analysis Report EPR Properties (EPR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research