Is International Paper (IP) Stock Outpacing Its Basic Materials Peers This Year?

IP

Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has International Paper (IP - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

International Paper is one of 235 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #13 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 model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. IP is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for IP's full-year earnings has moved 16.82% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, IP has gained about 6.60% so far this year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 18.12%. This means that International Paper is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Breaking things down more, IP is a member of the Paper and Related Products industry, which includes 14 individual companies and currently sits at #38 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 6.99% so far this year, so IP is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

IP will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.

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