Sectors & Industries Basic MaterialsSpecialty Chemicals
Best Specialty Chemical Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top specialty 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 specialty chemical stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Specialty Chemicals

Overview Zen Rating Price Value Growth Financials

Momentum Sentiment Forecast Dividends Due Diligence

Specialty Chemicals is Zen Rated B and is the 40th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Market Cap	ROE	ROA	ROCE	ROIC	D/E	Current Ratio	Gross Margin	Profit Margin	Operating Margin
MATV	MATIV HOLDINGS INC	$512.91M	-77.50%	-16.50%	-22.19%	-17.90%	3.11	2.24	18.30%	-17.00%	-19.72%
ECVT	ECOVYST INC	$1.22B	-10.90%	-4.30%	-1.53%	-1.00%	1.09	2.64	21.80%	-9.80%	-2.41%
ALTO	ALTO INGREDIENTS INC	$339.53M	-23.70%	-13.00%	-11.33%	-9.00%	0.75	3.56	2.00%	-5.60%	-4.25%
MTX	MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC	$2.09B	-1.10%	-0.50%	1.41%	1.70%	1.00	2.08	25.00%	-0.90%	1.98%
AVNT	AVIENT CORP	$3.35B	3.50%	1.40%	4.03%	5.90%	1.53	1.66	31.20%	2.50%	6.40%
SQM	CHEMICAL & MINING CO OF CHILE INC	$20.11B	14.30%	6.20%	12.56%	9.60%	1.22	2.51	29.30%	15.10%	25.73%
ESI	ELEMENT SOLUTIONS INC	$7.49B	7.30%	3.80%	6.82%	11.50%	0.90	3.68	42.00%	7.50%	12.50%
FUL	FULLER H B CO	$3.19B	8.00%	3.00%	7.94%	9.00%	1.59	1.70	31.10%	4.40%	10.15%
IOSP	INNOSPEC INC	$1.79B	9.00%	6.50%	8.76%	17.20%	0.38	2.79	27.70%	6.60%	7.25%
KOP	KOPPERS HOLDINGS INC	$737.46M	10.40%	2.90%	8.88%	6.60%	2.29	2.95	23.80%	3.00%	7.84%
HDSN	HUDSON TECHNOLOGIES INC	$270.31M	9.00%	7.20%	10.23%	25.60%	0.28	3.66	27.20%	9.60%	11.87%
NGVT	INGEVITY CORP	$2.29B	-127.80%	-9.00%	-6.15%	-3.30%	54.59	1.33	39.50%	-14.30%	-6.90%
BCPC	BALCHEM CORP	$5.61B	12.30%	9.30%	13.86%	31.40%	0.34	2.07	35.70%	14.90%	20.18%
CMT	CORE MOLDING TECHNOLOGIES INC	$166.62M	5.30%	3.70%	6.63%	8.90%	0.41	2.91	17.60%	3.10%	4.59%
KWR	QUAKER CHEMICAL CORP	$2.25B	-0.20%	-0.10%	2.74%	3.90%	1.04	2.42	36.00%	-0.10%	3.50%
ODC	OIL-DRI CORP OF AMERICA	$921.25M	21.10%	14.20%	19.99%	22.50%	0.43	3.34	28.80%	11.10%	13.79%
SSL	SASOL LTD	$5.82B	4.60%	1.90%	7.16%	5.40%	1.33	1.87	48.20%	2.70%	8.34%
APD	AIR PRODUCTS & CHEMICALS INC	$60.60B	-2.20%	-0.80%	-0.49%	-0.40%	1.52	1.46	31.60%	-2.70%	-1.50%
PPG	PPG INDUSTRIES INC	$23.85B	20.80%	7.20%	13.23%	15.80%	1.76	1.62	41.30%	9.90%	14.33%
WTTR	SELECT WATER SOLUTIONS INC	$1.68B	2.60%	1.40%	3.12%	2.90%	0.83	1.57	14.40%	1.50%	3.04%
ECL	ECOLAB INC	$79.71B	22.00%	8.80%	14.46%	19.20%	1.52	1.08	44.50%	12.90%	17.23%
SHW	SHERWIN WILLIAMS CO	$81.74B	58.50%	10.10%	20.04%	19.80%	4.63	0.87	48.80%	10.90%	16.13%
AVTR	AVANTOR INC	$5.57B	-9.00%	-4.40%	-2.61%	-5.10%	1.12	1.78	32.70%	-8.10%	-4.14%
CBT	CABOT CORP	$3.66B	20.40%	8.20%	20.08%	15.60%	1.29	1.67	25.40%	8.60%	16.05%
ALB	ALBEMARLE CORP	$19.13B	-6.80%	-4.00%	-1.00%	-1.00%	0.69	2.23	13.00%	-13.20%	-2.84%
PRM	PERIMETER SOLUTIONS INC	$3.52B	-17.80%	-8.10%	-7.95%	-22.00%	1.34	3.22	57.50%	-31.60%	-30.19%
SCL	STEPAN CO	$1.09B	3.80%	2.00%	4.85%	3.80%	0.90	1.29	11.60%	2.00%	3.52%
ASH	ASHLAND INC	$2.54B	-33.60%	-14.60%	-14.33%	-14.30%	1.41	3.15	30.10%	-38.30%	-32.96%
DD	DUPONT DE NEMOURS INC	$18.51B	-3.80%	-2.40%	-1.89%	-2.40%	0.54	2.42	34.50%	-11.40%	-5.31%
RPM	RPM INTERNATIONAL INC	$13.08B	22.70%	8.80%	13.98%	14.20%	1.51	2.22	41.20%	8.80%	11.92%
NEU	NEWMARKET CORP	$6.03B	25.40%	12.70%	19.53%	20.30%	0.96	2.53	31.50%	15.40%	22.03%
LIN	LINDE PLC	$224.63B	18.00%	8.10%	12.76%	17.70%	1.23	0.88	48.80%	20.30%	26.90%
IFF	INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC	$18.85B	-2.60%	-1.40%	-0.86%	-1.30%	0.80	1.42	36.20%	-3.30%	-1.70%
LWLG	LIGHTWAVE LOGIC INC	$561.26M	-62.20%	-55.80%	-48.13%	-207.40%	0.09	31.06	93.60%	-20,877.90%	-20,877.94%
SXT	SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP	$3.89B	11.60%	6.10%	10.46%	9.50%	0.88	4.10	33.50%	8.30%	12.85%
EMN	EASTMAN CHEMICAL CO	$8.02B	8.10%	3.20%	6.35%	6.20%	1.48	1.37	21.10%	5.40%	8.86%
WDFC	WD 40 CO	$3.19B	34.70%	19.40%	28.01%	32.70%	0.74	2.97	55.40%	14.40%	16.62%
HWKN	HAWKINS INC	$3.11B	16.70%	8.90%	14.09%	18.80%	0.88	2.35	22.90%	7.80%	11.65%
CC	CHEMOURS CO	$2.46B	-113.20%	-5.20%	-0.14%	-0.10%	28.52	1.78	15.50%	-6.60%	-0.14%
OEC	ORION SA	$278.55M	-16.30%	-3.60%	2.19%	1.30%	3.96	1.03	19.90%	-3.90%	1.55%
GEVO	GEVO INC	$519.64M	-7.20%	-4.90%	-2.54%	-2.90%	0.53	1.83	46.90%	-21.10%	-10.14%
LYB	LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES NV	$21.62B	-6.70%	-2.20%	-0.65%	-0.50%	2.37	1.77	8.50%	-2.50%	-0.60%
OLN	OLIN CORP	$2.66B	-5.20%	-1.30%	0.49%	0.40%	2.97	1.21	7.40%	-1.50%	0.41%
WLK	WESTLAKE CORP	$13.20B	-15.50%	-7.40%	-8.51%	-8.10%	1.21	2.24	7.30%	-13.50%	-13.10%
FEAM	5E ADVANCED MATERIALS INC	$70.99M	-43.10%	-38.30%	-45.46%	-41.30%	0.14	0.19	N/A	N/A	N/A
KRO	KRONOS WORLDWIDE INC	$608.63M	-5.00%	-2.10%	3.50%	2.80%	1.37	3.83	16.30%	-2.20%	3.06%
FF	FUTUREFUEL CORP	$200.18M	-18.70%	-15.40%	-19.19%	-35.10%	0.20	4.46	-17.90%	-25.20%	-24.89%
AXTA	AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS LTD	$6.32B	16.90%	4.90%	11.57%	11.80%	2.22	2.06	34.40%	7.40%	14.09%
YMAT	J-STAR HOLDING CO LTD	$6.16M	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	1.64	1.12	N/A	N/A	N/A
SNES	SENESTECH INC	$11.33M	-98.30%	-73.20%	-41.87%	-123.50%	0.29	15.75	63.50%	-253.50%	-252.50%
BGLC	BIONEXUS GENE LAB CORP	$4.49M	-30.20%	-24.90%	-33.82%	-34.50%	0.12	8.30	14.80%	-24.30%	-24.81%
FSI	FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL INC	$67.02M	5.00%	3.20%	6.76%	7.10%	0.39	2.96	32.50%	5.00%	8.29%
CITR	CITROTECH INC	N/A	-718.70%	-366.80%	-227.27%	12,354.60%	0.44	2.44	5.10%	-1,614.80%	-1,047.97%
CNEY	CN ENERGY GROUP INC	$5.03M	-11.20%	-10.80%	-10.70%	-11.20%	0.05	13.90	1.80%	-31.30%	-30.85%
NTIC	NORTHERN TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL CORP	$81.92M	-0.40%	-0.30%	3.13%	3.60%	0.38	1.77	37.00%	-0.40%	2.86%
LOOP	LOOP INDUSTRIES INC	$63.81M	N/A	-18.40%	-14.32%	-32.40%	-2.54	1.69	100.00%	-24.30%	-9.95%

Specialty Chemical Stocks FAQ

What are the best specialty chemical stocks to buy right now in Mar 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 specialty chemical stocks to buy right now are:

1. Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV)

Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV) 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 Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV) is: Value: B, Growth: A, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV) has a Due Diligence Score of 12, which is -21 points lower than the specialty chemical industry average of 33. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates MATV as a "A".

MATV passed 4 out of 38 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Mativ Holdings has seen its stock return 29.51% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 27 percentage points.

2. Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT)

Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT) 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 Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: B.

Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT) has a Due Diligence Score of 22, which is -11 points lower than the specialty chemical industry average of 33. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates ECVT as a "A".

ECVT passed 7 out of 33 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Ecovyst has seen its stock return 67.36% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 65 percentage points.

Ecovyst has an average 1 year price target of $13.60, an upside of 23.3% from Ecovyst's current stock price of $11.03.

Ecovyst stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 5 analysts covering Ecovyst, 40% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 40% have issued a Buy, 20% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO)

Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO) is the #3 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 Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: B, Sentiment: A, Safety: B, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO) has a Due Diligence Score of 21, which is -12 points lower than the specialty chemical industry average of 33. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates ALTO as a "A".

ALTO passed 6 out of 33 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Alto Ingredients has seen its stock return 209.93% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 208 percentage points.

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. Lyondellbasell Industries Nv (NYSE:LYB)

Lyondellbasell Industries Nv (NYSE:LYB) has an annual dividend yield of 8.12%, which is 6 percentage points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.17%. Lyondellbasell Industries Nv's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Lyondellbasell Industries Nv's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Lyondellbasell Industries Nv's dividend payout ratio of -232.9% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN)

Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN) has an annual dividend yield of 4.73%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.17%. Eastman Chemical Co's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Eastman Chemical Co's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Eastman Chemical Co's dividend payout ratio of 80.4% indicates that its high dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. Futurefuel (NYSE:FF)

Futurefuel (NYSE:FF) has an annual dividend yield of 3.94%, which is 2 percentage points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.17%. Futurefuel's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Futurefuel's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Futurefuel's dividend payout ratio of -30.4% indicates that its dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Why are specialty chemical stocks down?

Specialty chemical stocks were down -1.74% in the last day, and down -4.93% over the last week.

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

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. Cabot (NYSE:CBT)

Cabot (NYSE:CBT) 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.

Cabot has a valuation score of 43, which is 15 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 28. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Cabot's stock has dropped -19.36% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -22 percentage points.

2. Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN)

Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN) 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.

Eastman Chemical Co has a valuation score of 57, which is 29 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 28. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Eastman Chemical Co's stock has dropped -28.28% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -31 percentage points.

3. Hudson Technologies (NASDAQ:HDSN)

Hudson Technologies (NASDAQ:HDSN) 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.

Hudson Technologies has a valuation score of 71, which is 43 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 28. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Hudson Technologies's stock has gained 4.12% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by 2 percentage points.

Are specialty chemical stocks a good buy now?

50% of specialty chemical stocks rated by analysts are a buy right now. On average, analysts expect specialty chemical stocks to rise by 15.71% over the next year.

6.38% of specialty chemical stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 19.15% of specialty chemical stocks are rated B (Buy), 59.57% are rated C (Hold), 10.64% are rated D (Sell), and 4.26% 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 -0.55x.

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.

Specialty Chemical Stocks FAQ

1. Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV)

2. Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT)

3. Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO)

1. Lyondellbasell Industries Nv (NYSE:LYB)

2. Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN)

3. Futurefuel (NYSE:FF)

1. Cabot (NYSE:CBT)

2. Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN)

3. Hudson Technologies (NASDAQ:HDSN)

Company

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Sectors & IndustriesBasic MaterialsSpecialty ChemicalsBest Specialty Chemical Stocks to Buy Now (2026)Top specialty 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 specialty chemical stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Specialty Chemical Stocks FAQ

1. Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV)

2. Ecovyst (NYSE:ECVT)

3. Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO)

1. Lyondellbasell Industries Nv (NYSE:LYB)

2. Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN)

3. Futurefuel (NYSE:FF)

1. Cabot (NYSE:CBT)

2. Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN)

3. Hudson Technologies (NASDAQ:HDSN)

Company

Stock Tools

Stock Ideas