Investors focused on the Basic Materials space have likely heard of Cosan , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? 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.

Cosan is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 248 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #11. 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 emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. CZZ is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CZZ's full-year earnings has moved 18.12% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the latest available data, CZZ has gained about 63.52% so far this year. In comparison, Basic Materials companies have returned an average of 14.59%. As we can see, Cosan is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Looking more specifically, CZZ belongs to the Agriculture - Products industry, a group that includes 5 individual stocks and currently sits at #10 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 12.43% so far this year, so CZZ is performing better in this area.

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