Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Cabot (CBT Quick QuoteCBT - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Cabot is one of 251 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #4 within the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. CBT is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CBT's full-year earnings has moved 23.05% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, CBT has gained about 30.15% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 19.65% on average. This means that Cabot is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, CBT belongs to the Chemical - Diversified industry, which includes 41 individual stocks and currently sits at #43 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 11.27% so far this year, so CBT is performing better in this area.

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