Are Basic Materials Stocks Lagging AngloGold Ashanti PLC (AU) This Year?

For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has AngloGold Ashanti (AU) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.AngloGold Ashanti is one of 235 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #15 within 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 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. AngloGold Ashanti is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AU's full-year earnings has moved 12.7% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.Based on the latest available data, AU has gained about 40.3% so far this year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 1.3%. As we can see, AngloGold Ashanti is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Centamin (CELTF). The stock is up 52.8% year-to-date.For Centamin, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 66.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Breaking things down more, AngloGold Ashanti is a member of the Mining - Gold industry, which includes 38 individual companies and currently sits at #89 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 25.4% so far this year, meaning that AU is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.In contrast, Centamin falls under the Mining - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this industry has 60 stocks and is ranked #204. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -7.9%.AngloGold Ashanti and Centamin could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep AmericaA massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?”Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >>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 AngloGold Ashanti PLC (AU): Free Stock Analysis Report Centamin (CELTF): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks