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Is Balchem (BCPC) Outperforming Other Basic Materials Stocks 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 a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 236 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #14. 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. Blachem is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BCPC's full-year earnings has moved 2.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, BCPC has moved about 13.8% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of -3.2% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Blachem is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is H. B. Fuller (FUL - Free Report) . The stock is up 0.1% year-to-date.

In H. B. Fuller's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 1.9% 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 #169 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 18.1% so far this year, so BCPC is performing better in this area. H. B. Fuller is also part of the same industry.

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


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