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 BHP Group Limited Sponsored (BHP) 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.

BHP Group Limited Sponsored is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 251 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #4. 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 proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. BHP is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BHP's full-year earnings has moved 12.52% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, BHP has moved about 19.18% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 16.73%. This means that BHP Group Limited Sponsored is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, BHP belongs to the Mining – Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 47 individual stocks and currently sits at #207 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 17.48% so far this year, so BHP is performing better in this area.

BHP will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.

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