The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. (NMG) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? 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.

Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. is one of 233 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #14 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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. Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NMG's full-year earnings has moved 9.8% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, NMG has returned 28.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 9.6% on average. This means that Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Vizsla Silver Corp. (VZLA). The stock is up 28.7% year-to-date.

In Vizsla Silver Corp.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 60.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. is a member of the Mining - Miscellaneous industry, which includes 60 individual companies and currently sits at #162 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 9.4% this year, meaning that NMG is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Vizsla Silver Corp. belongs to the Mining - Silver industry. This 9-stock industry is currently ranked #24. The industry has moved +20.8% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. and Vizsla Silver Corp. as they could maintain their solid performance.

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