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

Minerals Technologies is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 240 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 successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Minerals Technologies is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MTX's full-year earnings has moved 6.5% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, MTX has gained about 11.9% so far this year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have lost an average of 0.3%. This means that Minerals Technologies is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Avino Silver (ASM) is another Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 56.3%.

For Avino Silver, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 125% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Minerals Technologies belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry, a group that includes 33 individual stocks and currently sits at #144 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 19.8% this year, meaning that MTX is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Avino Silver falls under the Mining - Silver industry. Currently, this industry has 10 stocks and is ranked #35. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +21%.

Investors interested in the Basic Materials sector may want to keep a close eye on Minerals Technologies and Avino Silver as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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