The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. (IDR) 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.

Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. is one of 236 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #15 within 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. Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for IDR's full-year earnings has moved 166.7% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, IDR has returned 90.3% so far this year. In comparison, Basic Materials companies have returned an average of -2.2%. This means that Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Basic Materials stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Perimeter Solutions, SA (PRM). The stock has returned 146.7% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Perimeter Solutions, SA's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 48.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. belongs to the Mining - Gold industry, a group that includes 37 individual stocks and currently sits at #140 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 48.7% so far this year, meaning that IDR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Perimeter Solutions, SA falls under the Chemical - Specialty industry. Currently, this industry has 33 stocks and is ranked #176. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved -16.7%.

Going forward, investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. and Perimeter Solutions, SA as they could maintain their solid performance.