Is Iamgold (IAG) Stock Outpacing Its Basic Materials Peers This Year?

The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Iamgold (IAG) been one of those stocks this year? 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.Iamgold is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 235 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. 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. Iamgold is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IAG's full-year earnings has moved 10.7% 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, IAG has gained about 6% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of -10.9% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Iamgold is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.Another stock in the Basic Materials sector, Klabin SA (KLBAY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 1.4%.Over the past three months, Klabin SA's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 20.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Looking more specifically, Iamgold belongs to the Mining - Gold industry, a group that includes 40 individual stocks and currently sits at #92 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 11.9% so far this year, meaning that IAG is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.Klabin SA, however, belongs to the Paper and Related Products industry. Currently, this 11-stock industry is ranked #33. The industry has moved +36.2% so far this year.Iamgold and Klabin SA could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.Free: 5 Stocks to Buy As Infrastructure Spending SoarsTrillions of dollars in Federal funds have been earmarked to repair and upgrade America’s infrastructure. In addition to roads and bridges, this flood of cash will pour into AI data centers, renewable energy sources and more.In, you’ll discover 5 surprising stocks positioned to profit the most from the spending spree that’s just getting started in this space.Download How to Profit from the Trillion-Dollar Infrastructure Boom absolutely free today.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 Iamgold Corporation (IAG): Free Stock Analysis Report Klabin SA (KLBAY): 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