Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Nucor (NUE) 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? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of NUE and the rest of the Basic Materials group's stocks.Nucor is a member of our Basic Materials group, which includes 251 different companies and currently sits at #3 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 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. NUE is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NUE's full-year earnings has moved 77.75% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.Based on the most recent data, NUE has returned 79.17% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 19.04% on average. This means that Nucor is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.To break things down more, NUE belongs to the Steel - Producers industry, a group that includes 24 individual companies and currently sits at #13 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 44.31% so far this year, so NUE is performing better in this area.NUE will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.Download FREE: How to Profit from Trillions on Spending for Infrastructure >>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 Nucor Corporation (NUE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.