Investors focused on the Basic Materials space have likely heard of Gold Fields (GFI Quick QuoteGFI - Free Report) , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Gold Fields is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 237 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #4. 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 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. GFI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GFI's full-year earnings has moved 19.63% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, GFI has returned 79.70% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 2.75% on average. This shows that Gold Fields is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Looking more specifically, GFI belongs to the Mining - Gold industry, a group that includes 33 individual stocks and currently sits at #92 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 35.22% this year, meaning that GFI is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

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