The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Avino Silver (ASM) 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? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Avino Silver is a member of our Basic Materials group, which includes 236 different companies and currently sits at #13 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

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. Avino Silver is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASM's full-year earnings has moved 25% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that ASM has returned about 70.3% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of -7.1% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Avino Silver is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Basic Materials sector, Givaudan SA (GVDNY), has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 15%.

Over the past three months, Givaudan SA's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 14.3%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Avino Silver belongs to the Mining - Silver industry, a group that includes 10 individual stocks and currently sits at #22 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 16% so far this year, so ASM is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Givaudan SA belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry. This 33-stock industry is currently ranked #162. The industry has moved -21.1% year to date.

Investors interested in the Basic Materials sector may want to keep a close eye on Avino Silver and Givaudan SA as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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