Is Balchem (BCPC) Outperforming Other Basic Materials Stocks This Year?

Group 1 - Blachem (BCPC) is currently ranked 15 in the Zacks Sector Rank for the Basic Materials group, which consists of 237 companies [1] - The Zacks Rank for Blachem is 1 (Strong Buy), indicating a positive earnings outlook [1] - Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BCPC's full-year earnings has increased by 9.8%, reflecting improved analyst sentiment [2] Group 2 - Year-to-date, Blachem has returned approximately 5.2%, outperforming the Basic Materials sector average return of -3% [2] - Blachem belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry, which is ranked 143 in the Zacks Industry Rank and has an average gain of 8.2% this year, indicating slight underperformance compared to its industry [3] - D S SMITH (DITHF) is another stock in the Basic Materials sector that has outperformed, with a year-to-date return of 43.7% and a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [2][3]