The Basic Materials group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Barrick Gold (GOLD) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Basic Materials peers, we might be able to answer that question.Barrick Gold is one of 237 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. GOLD is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GOLD's full-year earnings has moved 20.12% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.Based on the latest available data, GOLD has gained about 50.89% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 5.33% on average. This shows that Barrick Gold is outperforming its peers so far this year.Looking more specifically, GOLD belongs to the Mining - Gold industry, a group that includes 33 individual stocks and currently sits at #82 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 43.84% so far this year, so GOLD is performing better in this area.Investors with an interest in Basic Materials stocks should continue to track GOLD. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Barrick Gold Corporation (GOLD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research