Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is Verso 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.

Verso is one of 247 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #13 in the Zacks Sector Rank. 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. VRS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for VRS's full-year earnings has moved 215.31% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

According to our latest data, VRS has moved about 74.44% on a year-to-date basis. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have lost an average of 8.46%. This shows that Verso is outperforming its peers so far this year.

To break things down more, VRS belongs to the Paper and Related Products industry, a group that includes 18 individual companies and currently sits at #61 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 11.10% this year, meaning that VRS is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

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