Sectors & IndustriesBasic MaterialsSpecialty Chemicals
Best Specialty Chemical Stocks to Buy Now (2025)
Top specialty chemical stocks in 2025 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +32.52% per year, and are the best specialty chemical stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Specialty Chemicals
C
Specialty Chemicals is Zen Rated C and is the 80th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries
Learn how the Zen Ratings work
Ticker
Company
Zen Rating
Sentiment
Market Cap
Shares
Institutional %
Insider %
Net Insider (L12M)
Net Insider (L3M)
ODC
OIL-DRI CORP OF AMERICA
$614.10M14,590,07324.10%4.42%Net BuyingNet Buying
NGVT
INGEVITY CORP
$1.20B36,351,23697.86%2.14%Net SellingNet Selling
HWKN
HAWKINS INC
$2.55B20,929,00469.48%11.92%Net SellingNet Selling
PRM
PERIMETER SOLUTIONS INC
$1.52B149,664,03779.98%20.02%Net SellingNet Selling
NEU
NEWMARKET CORP
$5.81B9,434,50654.36%45.64%Net SellingNet Selling
AXTA
AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS LTD
$7.09B218,143,31346.16%53.84%Net SellingNet Selling
SCL
STEPAN CO
$1.14B22,504,11775.07%24.93%Net SellingNet Selling
CMT
CORE MOLDING TECHNOLOGIES INC
$136.82M8,895,73566.54%27.35%Net SellingNet Buying
BCPC
BALCHEM CORP
$5.11B32,617,30189.14%2.30%Net SellingNet Selling
MATV
MATIV HOLDINGS INC
$278.58M54,517,60891.53%8.47%Net SellingNet Selling
DD
DUPONT DE NEMOURS INC
$27.59B418,049,12771.00%1.56%Net SellingNet Selling
IOSP
INNOSPEC INC
$2.23B24,959,65969.16%30.84%Net SellingNet Selling
IFF
INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC
$20.06B255,714,08377.85%22.15%Net SellingNet Buying
KRO
KRONOS WORLDWIDE INC
$886.93M115,036,0163.70%96.30%Net BuyingNet Buying
CBT
CABOT CORP
$4.26B54,221,49272.52%27.48%Net Selling
ECVT
ECOVYST INC
$701.86M117,367,43365.87%34.13%Net Selling
SXT
SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP
$3.98B42,393,33282.25%17.75%Net SellingNet Selling
AVNT
AVIENT CORP
$3.05B91,439,34394.91%5.09%Net SellingNet Selling
WDFC
WD 40 CO
$3.09B13,545,36490.23%4.95%Net SellingNet Buying
OEC
ORION SA
$682.12M56,654,09894.72%5.28%Net SellingNet Selling
SQM
CHEMICAL & MINING CO OF CHILE INC
$9.77B285,637,80812.29%0.01%
ESI
ELEMENT SOLUTIONS INC
$4.95B242,504,07386.08%13.92%Net SellingNet Selling
WTTR
SELECT WATER SOLUTIONS INC
$1.02B119,287,98149.42%50.58%Net SellingNet Selling
KWR
QUAKER CHEMICAL CORP
$1.87B17,671,65453.65%46.35%Net SellingNet Selling
FSI
FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL INC
$47.68M12,647,5328.72%48.27%
CC
CHEMOURS CO
$1.85B149,440,78884.28%2.87%Net SellingNet Selling
KOP
KOPPERS HOLDINGS INC
$513.37M20,485,75288.53%11.47%Net SellingNet Selling
LIN
LINDE PLC
$214.34B472,911,61882.08%0.28%Net SellingNet Selling
FUL
FULLER H B CO
$2.93B54,192,77497.52%2.48%Net BuyingNet Buying
MTX
MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC
$1.64B31,732,16896.10%3.90%Net Selling
SSL
SASOL LTD
$2.26B648,475,1042.44%0.00%
PPG
PPG INDUSTRIES INC
$24.71B227,000,00088.61%0.86%Net SellingNet Selling
ECL
ECOLAB INC
$71.15B282,997,05869.33%30.67%Net SellingNet Selling
SHW
SHERWIN WILLIAMS CO
$88.44B250,600,58280.70%1.33%Net SellingNet Selling
AVTR
AVANTOR INC
$8.85B681,429,66383.32%16.68%Net SellingNet Selling
OLN
OLIN CORP
$2.50B115,423,86079.09%20.91%Net BuyingNet Buying
RPM
RPM INTERNATIONAL INC
$13.71B128,422,51682.30%2.67%Net Selling
FF
FUTUREFUEL CORP
$180.03M43,803,24310.52%89.48%Net BuyingNet Buying
EMN
EASTMAN CHEMICAL CO
$8.89B115,460,14891.72%2.04%Net SellingNet Selling
HDSN
HUDSON TECHNOLOGIES INC
$294.53M44,025,10848.11%51.89%Net Selling
TSE
TRINSEO PLC
$141.22M35,481,4846.73%93.27%Net BuyingNet Selling
APD
AIR PRODUCTS & CHEMICALS INC
$60.31B222,475,66689.82%2.70%Net SellingNet Selling
WLK
WESTLAKE CORP
$11.85B128,229,5091.25%98.75%Net SellingNet Selling
ASH
ASHLAND INC
$2.57B47,182,86267.22%32.78%Net Buying
GEVO
GEVO INC
$263.57M239,609,87421.53%11.98%Net SellingNet Selling
LYB
LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES NV
$18.71B321,400,01427.26%72.74%Net BuyingNet Buying
ALB
ALBEMARLE CORP
$6.89B117,660,91490.31%9.69%Net SellingNet Selling
NTIC
NORTHERN TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL CORP
$70.58M9,474,36324.60%75.40%Net BuyingNet Buying
ALTO
ALTO INGREDIENTS INC
$69.10M76,611,09028.41%21.33%Net SellingNet Selling
LWLG
LIGHTWAVE LOGIC INC
$111.07M124,799,62027.14%17.87%Net BuyingNet Buying
CNEY
CN ENERGY GROUP INC
$1.57M12,184,7111.82%0.00%
SDST
STARDUST POWER INC
$28.95M57,894,9741.22%91.87%Net SellingNet Selling
LOOP
LOOP INDUSTRIES INC
$50.95M47,620,2632.86%97.14%Net BuyingNet Buying
SNES
SENESTECH INC
$3.93M1,746,9300.15%99.85%
BGLC
BIONEXUS GENE LAB CORP
$5.12M1,796,7661.02%98.98%
FEAM
5E ADVANCED MATERIALS INC
$13.33M3,001,52520.79%79.21%Net BuyingNet Buying

Specialty Chemical Stocks FAQ

What are the best specialty chemical stocks to buy right now in May 2025?

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 specialty chemical stocks to buy right now are:

1. Oil Dri Of America (NYSE:ODC)


Oil Dri Of America (NYSE:ODC) is the #1 top specialty chemical stock out of 56 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 Oil Dri Of America (NYSE:ODC) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: B, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Oil Dri Of America (NYSE:ODC) has a Due Diligence Score of 47, which is 11 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 36.

ODC passed 17 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Oil Dri Of America has seen its stock return 21.56% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 30 percentage points.

2. Ingevity (NYSE:NGVT)


Ingevity (NYSE:NGVT) is the #2 top specialty chemical stock out of 56 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 Ingevity (NYSE:NGVT) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Ingevity (NYSE:NGVT) has a Due Diligence Score of 6, which is -30 points lower than the specialty chemical industry average of 36. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates NGVT as a "A".

NGVT passed 2 out of 33 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Ingevity has seen its stock lose -35.51% over the past year, underperforming other specialty chemical stocks by -27 percentage points.

Ingevity has an average 1 year price target of $48.50, an upside of 47.06% from Ingevity's current stock price of $32.98.

Ingevity stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 2 analysts covering Ingevity, 0% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 50% have issued a Buy, 50% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN)


Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) is the #3 top specialty chemical stock out of 56 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: B, Financials: B, and AI: B.

Hawkins (NASDAQ:HWKN) has a Due Diligence Score of 40, which is 4 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 36.

HWKN passed 16 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Hawkins has seen its stock return 60.72% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 69 percentage points.

Hawkins has an average 1 year price target of $160.00, an upside of 31.38% from Hawkins's current stock price of $121.78.

Hawkins stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 1 analyst covering Hawkins, 0% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 100% have issued a Buy, 0% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

What are the specialty chemical stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 35 specialty chemical stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 specialty chemical stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Flexible Solutions International (NYSEMKT:FSI)


Flexible Solutions International (NYSEMKT:FSI) has an annual dividend yield of N/A, which is N/A percentage points lower than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.3%. Flexible Solutions International's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Flexible Solutions International's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Flexible Solutions International's dividend payout ratio of 41.7% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

2. Chemours Co (NYSE:CC)


Chemours Co (NYSE:CC) has an annual dividend yield of 8.08%, which is 6 percentage points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.3%. Chemours Co's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Chemours Co's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Chemours Co's dividend payout ratio of 172.4% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

3. Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV)


Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV) has an annual dividend yield of 7.83%, which is 6 percentage points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.3%. Mativ Holdings's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Mativ Holdings's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Mativ Holdings's dividend payout ratio of -44.4% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Why are specialty chemical stocks up?

Specialty chemical stocks were up 0.74% in the last day, and up 3.23% over the last week. Ppg Industries was the among the top gainers in the specialty chemicals industry, gaining 4.86% yesterday.

PPG Industries shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 financial results.

What are the most undervalued specialty 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 specialty chemical stocks right now are:

1. Core Molding Technologies (NYSEMKT:CMT)


Core Molding Technologies (NYSEMKT:CMT) is the most undervalued specialty chemical stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Core Molding Technologies has a valuation score of 43, which is 12 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 31. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Core Molding Technologies's stock has dropped -14.65% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -6 percentage points.

2. Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO)


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

Kronos Worldwide has a valuation score of 71, which is 40 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 31. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Kronos Worldwide's stock has dropped -32.66% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -24 percentage points.

3. Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN)


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

Eastman Chemical Co has a valuation score of 43, which is 12 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 31. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Eastman Chemical Co's stock has dropped -18.47% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -10 percentage points.

Are specialty chemical stocks a good buy now?

51.22% of specialty chemical stocks rated by analysts are a buy right now. On average, analysts expect specialty chemical stocks to rise by 25.75% over the next year.

4% of specialty chemical stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 12% of specialty chemical stocks are rated B (Buy), 64% are rated C (Hold), 12% are rated D (Sell), and 8% are rated F (Strong Sell).

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

The average P/E ratio of the specialty chemicals industry is 28.11x.
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.