For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Kinder Morgan (KMI) 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 KMI and the rest of the Oils-Energy group's stocks.Kinder Morgan is one of 315 individual stocks in the Oils-Energy sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #7 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. KMI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for KMI's full-year earnings has moved 1.10% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.According to our latest data, KMI has moved about 29.91% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 14.74%. This shows that Kinder Morgan is outperforming its peers so far this year.Looking more specifically, KMI belongs to the Oil and Gas - Production and Pipelines industry, a group that includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #79 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 22.18% so far this year, so KMI is performing better in this area.KMI will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.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 Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.