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Has Israel Chemicals (ICL) 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. Has Israel Chemicals (ICL - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Israel Chemicals is one of 241 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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 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. Israel Chemicals is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ICL's full-year earnings has moved 35.6% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, ICL has gained about 24.8% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of 14.4% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Israel Chemicals is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Mercer International (MERC - Free Report) is another Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 16.4%.

In Mercer International's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 79.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Israel Chemicals belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry, which includes 34 individual stocks and currently sits at #150 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 15% so far this year, so ICL is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Mercer International belongs to the Paper and Related Products industry. This 13-stock industry is currently ranked #94. The industry has moved +1% year to date.

Investors with an interest in Basic Materials stocks should continue to track Israel Chemicals and Mercer International. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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