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Has W.R. Grace & (GRA) Outpaced Other Basic Materials Stocks This Year?

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Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is W.R. Grace & 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.

W.R. Grace & is a member of our Basic Materials group, which includes 240 different companies and currently sits at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. GRA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GRA's full-year earnings has moved 3.81% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that GRA has returned about 5.05% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have lost about 4.52% on average. This means that W.R. Grace & is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

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. On average, this group has gained an average of 0.37% so far this year, meaning that GRA is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Investors with an interest in Basic Materials stocks should continue to track GRA. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.