Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Alpha Metallurgical (AMR) 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 Basic Materials sector should help us answer this question.
Alpha Metallurgical is one of 231 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #15 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Alpha Metallurgical is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMR's full-year earnings has moved 3.7% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the most recent data, AMR has returned 71.8% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 1.4% on average. This means that Alpha Metallurgical is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is PPG Industries (PPG). The stock is up 2.9% year-to-date.
For PPG Industries, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Alpha Metallurgical is a member of the Mining - Miscellaneous industry, which includes 54 individual companies and currently sits at #154 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 2.2% so far this year, meaning that AMR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.
PPG Industries, however, belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry. Currently, this 34-stock industry is ranked #216. The industry has moved +4.5% so far this year.
Alpha Metallurgical and PPG Industries could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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