For those looking to find strong Finance stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Franklin Resources (BEN) 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 Finance sector should help us answer this question.Franklin Resources is one of 904 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #1 within 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. Franklin Resources is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BEN's full-year earnings has moved 7.7% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.Based on the most recent data, BEN has returned 4.3% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Finance group have gained about 2.7% on average. This shows that Franklin Resources is outperforming its peers so far this year.Another Finance stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. (AVAL). The stock has returned 5.9% year-to-date.The consensus estimate for Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A.'s current year EPS has increased 6.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).To break things down more, Franklin Resources belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry, a group that includes 45 individual companies and currently sits at #49 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 2.8% so far this year, meaning that BEN is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. is also part of the same industry.Investors interested in the Finance sector may want to keep a close eye on Franklin Resources and Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. as they attempt to continue their solid performance. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.Download FREE: How to Profit from Trillions on Spending for Infrastructure >>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 Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN): Free Stock Analysis Report Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. (AVAL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.