Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. The Mosaic (MOS Quick QuoteMOS - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Basic Materials sector should help us answer this question.

The Mosaic is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 252 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #15. 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. MOS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MOS's full-year earnings has moved 13.48% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, MOS has gained about 71.58% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 8.31% on average. This means that The Mosaic is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, MOS belongs to the Fertilizers industry, which includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #15 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have gained about 35.85% so far this year, so MOS is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

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