Best Chemical Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top chemical stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +32.52% per year, and are the best chemical stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Chemicals
C
Chemicals is Zen Rated C and is the 60th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries
Learn how the Zen Ratings work
Ticker
Company
DD Score
Valuation Score
Financials Score
Forecast Score
Performance Score
Dividends Score
WLKP
WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP
49
29
29
56
50
80
GPRE
GREEN PLAINS INC
26
14
71
22
20
0
LXU
LSB INDUSTRIES INC
25
14
57
0
30
CE
CELANESE CORP
15
14
29
22
10
0
MEOH
METHANEX CORP
20
29
43
0
10
20

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Use Due Diligence Score to quickly analyze stock fundamentals, even if you don't have a finance background. We run time-tested due diligence checks inspired by legendary investors like Warren Buffett, and score each company based on how many they pass/fail.

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Chemical Stocks FAQ

What are the best chemical stocks to buy right now in May 2026?

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best chemical stocks to buy right now are:

1. Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP)


Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP) is the #1 top chemical stock out of 17 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: B, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: A, and AI: A.

Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP) has a Due Diligence Score of 49, which is 24 points higher than the chemical industry average of 25.

WLKP passed 18 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Westlake Chemical Partners has seen its stock return 0.72% over the past year, underperforming other chemical stocks by -26 percentage points.

2. Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE)


Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) is the #2 top chemical stock out of 17 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: B, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: A.

Green Plains (NASDAQ:GPRE) has a Due Diligence Score of 26, which is 1 points higher than the chemical industry average of 25.

GPRE passed 10 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Green Plains has seen its stock return 268.82% over the past year, overperforming other chemical stocks by 242 percentage points.

Green Plains has an average 1 year price target of $16.25, a downside of -5.25% from Green Plains's current stock price of $17.15.

Green Plains stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 4 analysts covering Green Plains, 25% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 25% have issued a Buy, 50% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU)


Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) is the #3 top chemical stock out of 17 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: B, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) has a Due Diligence Score of 25, which is equal to the chemical industry average of 25.

LXU passed 8 out of 33 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Lsb Industries has seen its stock return 104.67% over the past year, overperforming other chemical stocks by 78 percentage points.

Lsb Industries has an average 1 year price target of $14.88, a downside of -0.17% from Lsb Industries's current stock price of $14.90.

Lsb Industries stock has a consensus Hold recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 4 analysts covering Lsb Industries, 0% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 25% have issued a Buy, 75% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

What are the chemical stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 8 chemical stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 chemical stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP)


Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP) has an annual dividend yield of 7.94%, which is 5 percentage points higher than the chemical industry average of 3.36%. Westlake Chemical Partners's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Westlake Chemical Partners's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Westlake Chemical Partners's dividend payout ratio of 114.9% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Huntsman (NYSE:HUN)


Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) has an annual dividend yield of 4.55%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the chemical industry average of 3.36%. Huntsman's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Huntsman's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Huntsman's dividend payout ratio of -35% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

3. Dow (NYSE:DOW)


Dow (NYSE:DOW) has an annual dividend yield of 4.51%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the chemical industry average of 3.36%. Dow's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Dow's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Dow's dividend payout ratio of -43.6% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Why are chemical stocks up?

Chemical stocks were up 3.31% in the last day, and down -4.04% over the last week.

We couldn't find a catalyst for why chemical stocks are up.

What are the most undervalued chemical stocks?

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), the 3 most undervalued chemical stocks right now are:

1. Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP)


Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP) is the most undervalued chemical stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Westlake Chemical Partners has a valuation score of 29, which is 12 points higher than the chemical industry average of 17. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Westlake Chemical Partners's stock has gained 0.72% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the chemical industry by -26 percentage points.

2. Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU)


Lsb Industries (NYSE:LXU) is the second most undervalued chemical stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Lsb Industries has a valuation score of 14, which is -3 points higher than the chemical industry average of 17. It passed 1 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates LXU a Valuation Rating of "B".

Lsb Industries's stock has gained 104.67% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the chemical industry by 78 percentage points.

3. Celanese (NYSE:CE)


Celanese (NYSE:CE) is the third most undervalued chemical stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Celanese has a valuation score of 14, which is -3 points higher than the chemical industry average of 17. It passed 1 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates CE a Valuation Rating of "B".

Celanese's stock has gained 9.21% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the chemical industry by -17 percentage points.

Are chemical stocks a good buy now?

50% of chemical stocks rated by analysts are a buy right now. On average, analysts expect chemical stocks to rise by 9.04% over the next year.

20% of chemical stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 26.67% of chemical stocks are rated B (Buy), 26.67% are rated C (Hold), 13.33% are rated D (Sell), and 13.33% are rated F (Strong Sell).

What is the average p/e ratio of the chemicals industry?

The average P/E ratio of the chemicals industry is -18.75x.
WallStreetZen does not provide financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.

Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes and is not advice. WallStreetZen does not bear any responsibility for any losses or damage that may occur as a result of reliance on this data.