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
D
Specialty Chemicals is Zen Rated D and is the 96th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries
Learn how the Zen Ratings work
Ticker
Company
Market Cap
Price
Price Target
Upside/Downside
Top Analysts Upside/Downside
Consensus
Top Analysts Consensus
Analysts
Top Analysts
Fore. Revenue Growth
Fore. Earnings Growth
Forecast ROE
Forecast ROA
ODC
OIL-DRI CORP OF AMERICA
$705.43M$48.35N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
NEU
NEWMARKET CORP
$6.14B$650.30N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
NGVT
INGEVITY CORP
$1.57B$42.95$51.5019.91%Buy21.08%N/A78.49%8.96%
BCPC
BALCHEM CORP
$5.49B$168.26$180.006.98%Buy16.39%22.33%14.71%10.99%
HWKN
HAWKINS INC
$2.55B$122.68$160.0030.42%Buy15.76%8.87%21.69%12.97%
PRM
PERIMETER SOLUTIONS INC
$1.76B$11.89$15.5030.36%Strong Buy2-1.22%-4.50%12.02%6.08%
WTTR
SELECT WATER SOLUTIONS INC
$1.03B$8.53$15.0075.85%Strong Buy21.42%53.69%12.38%6.35%
WDFC
WD 40 CO
$3.33B$245.66$322.0031.08%Strong Buy14.02%-2.08%36.92%19.51%
SCL
STEPAN CO
$1.27B$56.07N/AN/AN/AN/A8.02%30.44%N/AN/A
AXTA
AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS LTD
$7.14B$32.65$39.2020.06%Buy102.43%8.63%19.55%5.48%
CMT
CORE MOLDING TECHNOLOGIES INC
$140.28M$15.60N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
DD
DUPONT DE NEMOURS INC
$29.01B$69.32$83.2520.10%Strong Buy123.50%N/A9.66%6.13%
HDSN
HUDSON TECHNOLOGIES INC
$340.02M$7.82$6.75-13.68%Hold10.94%-6.41%9.07%7.27%
SXT
SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP
$4.00B$94.28$93.00-1.36%Buy1N/AN/AN/AN/A
KRO
KRONOS WORLDWIDE INC
$814.46M$7.08$8.5020.06%Strong Sell16.54%18.56%19.09%8.31%
MATV
MATIV HOLDINGS INC
$331.62M$6.07$10.0064.74%Strong Buy11.74%N/A12.12%2.53%
ECVT
ECOVYST INC
$888.72M$7.57$10.0032.10%Strong Buy38.57%N/AN/AN/A
SSL
SASOL LTD
$2.50B$3.86N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A12.54%4.91%
IOSP
INNOSPEC INC
$2.22B$88.99$155.0074.18%Buy12.69%426.85%13.24%9.40%
SQM
CHEMICAL & MINING CO OF CHILE INC
$9.95B$34.83$40.5016.28%Buy210.93%27.95%25.46%11.43%
ESI
ELEMENT SOLUTIONS INC
$5.42B$22.34$26.6319.18%Strong Buy8-1.94%18.32%15.01%7.89%
PPG
PPG INDUSTRIES INC
$25.90B$114.08$123.368.14%Buy113.37%34.80%30.24%9.91%
CBT
CABOT CORP
$4.11B$76.59$92.6720.99%Hold32.92%4.19%35.95%13.56%
KOP
KOPPERS HOLDINGS INC
$624.31M$31.20$64.00105.13%Buy1-1.53%265.48%21.09%5.56%
KWR
QUAKER CHEMICAL CORP
$1.89B$106.86$149.6740.06%Buy33.63%30.47%13.43%6.98%
MTX
MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC
$1.88B$59.38$80.0034.73%Strong Buy22.51%N/A13.64%6.41%
ECL
ECOLAB INC
$73.46B$259.09$283.859.55%Buy133.63%7.93%31.76%12.60%
LIN
LINDE PLC
$215.74B$457.77$497.508.68%Buy23.67%13.55%24.13%11.10%
SHW
SHERWIN WILLIAMS CO
$91.10B$363.51$392.567.99%Strong Buy93.29%10.53%88.59%14.85%
IFF
INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC
$19.88B$77.72$92.4618.96%Strong Buy11-0.47%N/A11.45%5.34%
AVTR
AVANTOR INC
$9.14B$13.41$18.4037.21%Buy102.04%4.92%14.64%7.24%
FUL
FULLER H B CO
$3.09B$57.00$62.509.65%Hold41.54%52.70%16.79%6.02%
CC
CHEMOURS CO
$1.67B$11.17$18.0061.15%Buy82.60%227.60%70.77%5.54%
AVNT
AVIENT CORP
$3.46B$37.78$47.2525.07%Strong Buy42.84%71.39%14.59%5.77%
RPM
RPM INTERNATIONAL INC
$14.90B$116.02$118.331.99%Buy91.85%6.61%30.30%12.24%
EMN
EASTMAN CHEMICAL CO
$9.53B$82.58$99.2520.19%Buy121.90%4.47%N/AN/A
OEC
ORION SA
$638.66M$11.35$13.5018.94%Buy20.79%89.39%23.54%5.57%
OLN
OLIN CORP
$2.43B$21.13$26.9227.42%Hold130.78%70.99%10.62%2.78%
ASH
ASHLAND INC
$2.41B$52.76$70.7534.10%Strong Buy40.64%N/AN/AN/A
ALB
ALBEMARLE CORP
$7.08B$60.21$71.3918.56%Hold135.84%N/A12.61%7.44%
ALTO
ALTO INGREDIENTS INC
$70.26M$0.91$5.50504.40%Buy1-1.43%N/A4.69%2.50%
GEVO
GEVO INC
$292.27M$1.22$7.58520.90%Buy266.90%N/A1.53%1.06%
APD
AIR PRODUCTS & CHEMICALS INC
$62.07B$278.93$319.3314.48%Buy62.58%37.00%20.89%7.90%
NTIC
NORTHERN TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL CORP
$69.83M$7.37N/AN/AN/AN/A0.77%-50.00%2.85%2.12%
LYB
LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES NV
$19.21B$59.77$66.5011.26%Hold12-10.44%32.23%19.06%6.61%
FF
FUTUREFUEL CORP
$182.22M$4.16N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
LWLG
LIGHTWAVE LOGIC INC
$171.31M$1.37N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
TSE
TRINSEO PLC
$98.75M$2.77N/AN/AN/AN/A7.56%N/AN/A-2.49%
SDST
STARDUST POWER INC
$41.99M$0.70$1.73147.13%Strong Buy2N/AN/A-65.62%73.58%
WLK
WESTLAKE CORP
$10.52B$82.05$103.7526.45%Buy122.34%33.73%8.70%4.37%
FEAM
5E ADVANCED MATERIALS INC
$12.76M$4.25N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A-48.06%
FSI
FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL INC
$55.65M$4.40N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
SNES
SENESTECH INC
$4.99M$2.81$10.00255.87%Buy180.12%N/A-212.47%-169.46%
BGLC
BIONEXUS GENE LAB CORP
$5.12M$2.85N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
CNEY
CN ENERGY GROUP INC
$1.43M$0.12N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
LOOP
LOOP INDUSTRIES INC
$48.57M$1.02N/AN/AN/AN/A354.67%N/A-411.65%605.56%

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 B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% 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 44, which is 10 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 34.

ODC passed 16 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Oil Dri Of America has seen its stock return 21.47% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 31 percentage points.

2. Newmarket (NYSE:NEU)


Newmarket (NYSE:NEU) is the #2 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 Newmarket (NYSE:NEU) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: B, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Newmarket (NYSE:NEU) has a Due Diligence Score of 47, which is 13 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 34.

NEU passed 17 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Newmarket has seen its stock return 16.77% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 26 percentage points.

3. Ingevity (NYSE:NGVT)


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

Ingevity (NYSE:NGVT) has a Due Diligence Score of 6, which is -28 points lower than the specialty chemical industry average of 34. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates NGVT as a "B".

NGVT passed 2 out of 33 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Ingevity has seen its stock lose -21.98% over the past year, underperforming other specialty chemical stocks by -13 percentage points.

Ingevity has an average 1 year price target of $51.50, an upside of 19.91% from Ingevity's current stock price of $42.95.

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.

What are the specialty chemical stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 38 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 2.18%. 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. Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile (NYSE:SQM)


Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile (NYSE:SQM) has an annual dividend yield of N/A, which is N/A percentage points lower than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.18%. Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% fifteen times in the last 10 years. Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile's dividend payout ratio of 8.9% indicates that its dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. Lyondellbasell Industries Nv (NYSE:LYB)


Lyondellbasell Industries Nv (NYSE:LYB) has an annual dividend yield of 6.73%, which is 5 percentage points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.18%. 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 164.4% 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 0.94% in the last day, and up 3.15% over the last week.

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

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. Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO)


Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) is the 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 47 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 24. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Kronos Worldwide's stock has dropped -46.44% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -37 percentage points.

2. Core Molding Technologies (NYSEMKT:CMT)


Core Molding Technologies (NYSEMKT:CMT) 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.

Core Molding Technologies has a valuation score of 57, which is 33 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 24. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Core Molding Technologies's stock has dropped -22.5% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -13 percentage points.

3. Cabot (NYSE:CBT)


Cabot (NYSE:CBT) 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.

Cabot has a valuation score of 29, which is 5 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 24. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Cabot's stock has dropped -24.59% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -15 percentage points.

Are specialty chemical stocks a good buy now?

52.38% of specialty chemical stocks rated by analysts are a buy right now. On average, analysts expect specialty chemical stocks to rise by 18.98% over the next year.

0% of specialty chemical stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 10% of specialty chemical stocks are rated B (Buy), 64% are rated C (Hold), 20% are rated D (Sell), and 6% 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 9.39x.
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.