The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Alpha Metallurgical (AMR) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Alpha Metallurgical is one of 235 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #9 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

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. Alpha Metallurgical is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMR's full-year earnings has moved 11.7% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

According to our latest data, AMR has moved about 0.8% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of -11.8% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Alpha Metallurgical is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

First Majestic Silver (AG) is another Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 8.4%.

Over the past three months, First Majestic Silver's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 10.2%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Alpha Metallurgical belongs to the Mining - Miscellaneous industry, a group that includes 60 individual stocks and currently sits at #83 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 19.6% so far this year, so AMR is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, First Majestic Silver belongs to the Mining - Silver industry. This 9-stock industry is currently ranked #2. The industry has moved +29.6% year to date.

Investors interested in the Basic Materials sector may want to keep a close eye on Alpha Metallurgical and First Majestic Silver as they attempt to continue 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

Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc. (AMR) : Free Stock Analysis Report

First Majestic Silver Corp. (AG) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research