The Consumer Discretionary group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has American Outdoor Brands, Inc. (AOUT) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Discretionary sector should help us answer this question.

American Outdoor Brands, Inc. is one of 272 individual stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #8 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. American Outdoor Brands, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AOUT's full-year earnings has moved 16.7% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, AOUT has gained about 8.3% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Consumer Discretionary group have gained about 5.1% on average. This means that American Outdoor Brands, Inc. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Atour Lifestyle Holdings Limited Sponsored ADR (ATAT) is another Consumer Discretionary stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 61%.

Over the past three months, Atour Lifestyle Holdings Limited Sponsored ADR's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 10.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, American Outdoor Brands, Inc. belongs to the Leisure and Recreation Products industry, which includes 25 individual stocks and currently sits at #161 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 10.1% so far this year, so AOUT is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Atour Lifestyle Holdings Limited Sponsored ADR belongs to the Leisure and Recreation Services industry. This 31-stock industry is currently ranked #69. The industry has moved +18.5% year to date.

Investors interested in the Consumer Discretionary sector may want to keep a close eye on American Outdoor Brands, Inc. and Atour Lifestyle Holdings Limited Sponsored ADR as they attempt to continue their solid performance.