Is B2Gold Corp (BTG) Stock Outpacing Its Basic Materials Peers This Year?

For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. B2Gold (BTG) 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.B2Gold is one of 238 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #10 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 is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. B2Gold is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BTG's full-year earnings has moved 27.8% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.Based on the most recent data, BTG has returned 43.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of 15.6% on a year-to-date basis. This means that B2Gold is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.Another stock in the Basic Materials sector, Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (WPM), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 68.8%.For Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 13.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).To break things down more, B2Gold belongs to the Mining - Gold industry, a group that includes 39 individual companies and currently sits at #23 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 57.3% so far this year, meaning that BTG is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns. On the other hand, Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. belongs to the Mining - Miscellaneous industry. This 64-stock industry is currently ranked #164. The industry has moved +22.5% year to date.Going forward, investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to B2Gold and Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. as they could maintain their solid performance.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.5% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report B2Gold Corp (BTG): Free Stock Analysis Report Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (WPM): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks