Are Basic Materials Stocks Lagging American Vanguard (AVD) This Year?

Group 1 - American Vanguard (AVD) is a member of the Basic Materials sector, which includes 236 individual stocks and holds a Zacks Sector Rank of 15 [1] - AVD has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating a favorable outlook based on earnings estimate revisions and improving earnings outlooks [1] - Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AVD's full-year earnings has increased by 4.4%, reflecting improved analyst sentiment [2] Group 2 - AVD has achieved a year-to-date performance of approximately 0.6%, outperforming the Basic Materials group, which has lost about 7% on average [2] - Ecolab (ECL), another stock in the Basic Materials sector, has a year-to-date return of 9.1% and a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) [2] - AVD is part of the Chemical - Specialty industry, which consists of 33 companies and currently ranks 101 in the Zacks Industry Rank, with the industry gaining about 3.4% this year [3]