The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Gold Fields (GFI) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Basic Materials peers, we might be able to answer that question.
Gold Fields is one of 254 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #2 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 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. Gold Fields is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GFI's full-year earnings has moved 13.8% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the most recent data, GFI has returned 34% so far this year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 27%. As we can see, Gold Fields is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.
Another Basic Materials stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. (IMPUY). The stock has returned 36.7% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 54.9%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Breaking things down more, Gold Fields is a member of the Mining - Gold industry, which includes 43 individual companies and currently sits at #42 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 32.1% so far this year, so GFI is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.
In contrast, Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. falls under the Mining - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this industry has 73 stocks and is ranked #47. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +31.4%.
Gold Fields and Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
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
Gold Fields Limited (GFI): Free Stock Analysis Report Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. (IMPUY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
