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 Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (NTR) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan is a member of the Basic Materials sector. This group includes 247 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #15. 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 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. NTR is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NTR's full-year earnings has moved 6.80% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.Based on the most recent data, NTR has returned 8.16% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of -10.79% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.Looking more specifically, NTR belongs to the Fertilizers industry, a group that includes 7 individual stocks and currently sits at #47 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 6.59% so far this year, meaning that NTR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.Going forward, investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to NTR as it looks 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 Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (NTR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.