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Are Basic Materials Stocks Lagging AngloGold Ashanti PLC (AU) This Year?

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Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is AngloGold Ashanti (AU - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Basic Materials peers, we might be able to answer that question.

AngloGold Ashanti is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 236 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #16. 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 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. AngloGold Ashanti is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AU's full-year earnings has moved 5% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, AU has moved about 58.8% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of -2.6% on a year-to-date basis. This means that AngloGold Ashanti is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Basic Materials sector, Barrick Gold (GOLD - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 11.6%.

In Barrick Gold's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 14.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, AngloGold Ashanti belongs to the Mining - Gold industry, a group that includes 37 individual stocks and currently sits at #84 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 25.7% so far this year, so AU is performing better in this area. Barrick Gold is also part of the same industry.

Investors with an interest in Basic Materials stocks should continue to track AngloGold Ashanti and Barrick Gold. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.


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