Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Gold Fields (GFI) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Basic Materials sector should help us answer this question.
Gold Fields is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 238 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #8. 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 model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Gold Fields is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GFI's full-year earnings has moved 26.9% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the latest available data, GFI has gained about 82% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of 12.3% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Gold Fields is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is FUCHS SE - Unsponsored ADR (FUPBY). The stock is up 32.1% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, FUCHS SE - Unsponsored ADR's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 4.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Gold Fields belongs to the Mining - Gold industry, which includes 39 individual stocks and currently sits at #23 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 50.8% this year, meaning that GFI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
On the other hand, FUCHS SE - Unsponsored ADR belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry. This 37-stock industry is currently ranked #90. The industry has moved +6% year to date.
Investors with an interest in Basic Materials stocks should continue to track Gold Fields and FUCHS SE - Unsponsored ADR. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
