For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Blackstone Group IncThe (BX) 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? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of BX and the rest of the Finance group's stocks.Blackstone Group IncThe is a member of our Finance group, which includes 887 different companies and currently sits at #2 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.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. BX is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BX's full-year earnings has moved 11.91% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.According to our latest data, BX has moved about 6.82% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Finance stocks have gained an average of 6.50%. This means that Blackstone Group IncThe is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.Breaking things down more, BX is a member of the Financial - Investment Management industry, which includes 48 individual companies and currently sits at #50 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 4.08% this year, meaning that BX is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track BX. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.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 Blackstone Group IncThe (BX): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.