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Are Basic Materials Stocks Lagging The Mosaic Company (MOS) This Year?

Zacks Equity Research
·2-min read

For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Mosaic (MOS) been one of those stocks this year? 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.

Mosaic is a member of our Basic Materials group, which includes 241 different companies and currently sits at #3 in 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 proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Mosaic is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MOS' full-year earnings has moved 39.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

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Based on the most recent data, MOS has returned 92.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 15.6% on average. This shows that Mosaic is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another Basic Materials stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Mercer International (MERC). The stock has returned 36.5% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Mercer International's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 79.7%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Mosaic belongs to the Fertilizers industry, which includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #3 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 54.4% this year, meaning that MOS is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Mercer International, however, belongs to the Paper and Related Products industry. Currently, this 13-stock industry is ranked #72. The industry has moved +5.6% so far this year.

Going forward, investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to Mosaic and Mercer International as they could maintain their solid performance.


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The Mosaic Company (MOS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Mercer International Inc. (MERC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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