Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Buenaventura (BVN) 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.

Buenaventura is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 233 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. 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 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. Buenaventura is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BVN's full-year earnings has moved 19% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that BVN has returned about 12.9% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 7%. This shows that Buenaventura is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Basic Materials stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Methanex (MEOH). The stock has returned 7.4% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Methanex's current year EPS has increased 10.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Buenaventura belongs to the Mining - Silver industry, a group that includes 9 individual companies and currently sits at #12 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 17% so far this year, meaning that BVN is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

Methanex, however, belongs to the Chemical - Diversified industry. Currently, this 28-stock industry is ranked #227. The industry has moved +5.5% so far this year.

Buenaventura and Methanex 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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