Are Basic Materials Stocks Lagging Kronos Worldwide (KRO) This Year?

The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Kronos Worldwide (KRO) 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? 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.Kronos Worldwide is one of 248 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Kronos Worldwide is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for KRO's full-year earnings has moved 0.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.Our latest available data shows that KRO has returned about 50% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Basic Materials stocks have gained an average of 10.5%. This means that Kronos Worldwide is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Air Products and Chemicals (APD). The stock is up 13.3% year-to-date.The consensus estimate for Air Products and Chemicals' current year EPS has increased 1.7% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).To break things down more, Kronos Worldwide belongs to the Chemical - Diversified industry, a group that includes 29 individual companies and currently sits at #98 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 41.8% so far this year, meaning that KRO is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Air Products and Chemicals is also part of the same industry.Investors interested in the Basic Materials sector may want to keep a close eye on Kronos Worldwide and Air Products and Chemicals as they attempt to continue their solid performance.Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is HereThe AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.See Stocks Now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks