For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Gold Fields (GFI) one of those stocks right now? 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 233 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #10 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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 #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GFI's full-year earnings has moved 1.2% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, GFI has gained about 28.3% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 5.9% on average. As we can see, Gold Fields is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Basic Materials sector, New Gold (NGD), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 21.8%.

Over the past three months, New Gold's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 6.6%. 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 40 individual companies and currently sits at #84 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 16% so far this year, meaning that GFI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. New Gold is also part of the same industry.

Investors with an interest in Basic Materials stocks should continue to track Gold Fields and New Gold. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

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