The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Metals Acquisition Ltd (MTAL) 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.

Metals Acquisition Ltd is a member of our Basic Materials group, which includes 233 different companies and currently sits at #13 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 is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Metals Acquisition Ltd is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MTAL's full-year earnings has moved 94.1% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, MTAL has returned 2.6% so far this year. In comparison, Basic Materials companies have returned an average of -2.5%. As we can see, Metals Acquisition Ltd is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Basic Materials sector, Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 115.3%.

For Rayonier Advanced Materials, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 77.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Breaking things down more, Metals Acquisition Ltd is a member of the Mining - Non Ferrous industry, which includes 12 individual companies and currently sits at #52 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 9.8% so far this year, so MTAL is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

On the other hand, Rayonier Advanced Materials belongs to the Paper and Related Products industry. This 11-stock industry is currently ranked #162. The industry has moved +43.2% year to date.

Metals Acquisition Ltd and Rayonier Advanced Materials 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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