For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Albemarle (ALB) 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? 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.

Albemarle is one of 243 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #4 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Albemarle is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB's full-year earnings has moved 8.9% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that ALB has returned about 3.3% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Basic Materials companies have returned an average of 2.9%. This means that Albemarle is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Teck Resources Ltd (TECK). The stock is up 24.9% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Teck Resources Ltd's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 31.4%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

To break things down more, Albemarle belongs to the Chemical – Diversified industry, a group that includes 40 individual companies and currently sits at #90 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 1.7% so far this year, meaning that ALB is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Teck Resources Ltd, however, belongs to the Mining – Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this 50-stock industry is ranked #87. The industry has moved +9.7% so far this year.

Going forward, investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to Albemarle and Teck Resources Ltd as they could maintain their solid performance.

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 Albemarle Corporation (ALB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Teck Resources Ltd (TECK) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.