Investors focused on the Basic Materials space have likely heard of W.R. Grace & , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? 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.

W.R. Grace & is one of 240 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 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 is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. GRA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GRA's full-year earnings has moved 3.81% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, GRA has returned 5.05% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of -4.52% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, W.R. Grace & is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Looking more specifically, GRA belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry, which includes 30 individual stocks and currently sits at #152 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 0.37% so far this year, so GRA is performing better in this area.

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