Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Nucor (NUE Quick QuoteNUE - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? 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.

Nucor is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 251 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #3. 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. NUE is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NUE's full-year earnings has moved 63.31% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, NUE has gained about 137.21% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of 16.17% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Nucor is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Looking more specifically, NUE belongs to the Steel - Producers industry, a group that includes 24 individual stocks and currently sits at #12 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 65.11% this year, meaning that NUE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors in the Basic Materials sector will want to keep a close eye on NUE as it attempts to continue its solid performance.