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Are Basic Materials Stocks Lagging Balchem (BCPC) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Blachem (BCPC - 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.

Blachem is one of 236 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 sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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. Blachem is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BCPC's full-year earnings has moved 2.7% higher within the past quarter. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, BCPC has returned 10.4% so far this year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have lost an average of 8.5%. This shows that Blachem is outperforming its peers so far this year.

DuPont de Nemours (DD - 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 1.2%.

For DuPont de Nemours, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.9% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Blachem belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry, a group that includes 33 individual stocks and currently sits at #105 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has lost an average of 21.4% so far this year, meaning that BCPC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

DuPont de Nemours, however, belongs to the Chemical - Diversified industry. Currently, this 29-stock industry is ranked #234. The industry has moved -6.4% so far this year.

Going forward, investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to Blachem and DuPont de Nemours as they could maintain their solid performance.


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DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (DD) - free report >>

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