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Is SMURFIT KAPPA (SMFKY) Stock Outpacing Its Basic Materials Peers This Year?

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Investors focused on the Basic Materials space have likely heard of SMURFIT KAPPA , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of SMFKY and the rest of the Basic Materials group's stocks.

SMURFIT KAPPA is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 240 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. 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 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. SMFKY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for SMFKY's full-year earnings has moved 6.93% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, SMFKY has returned 21.24% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have lost about 4.52% on average. This means that SMURFIT KAPPA is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Breaking things down more, SMFKY is a member of the Paper and Related Products industry, which includes 19 individual companies and currently sits at #36 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 0.33% so far this year, meaning that SMFKY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

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