Sectors & IndustriesBasic 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 +28.50% per year, and are the best specialty chemical stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Specialty Chemicals
B
Specialty Chemicals is Zen Rated B and is the 34th ranked industry out of 146 stock market industries
Learn how the Zen Ratings work
Ticker
Company
Market Cap
Dividend Yield
Payout Ratio
Last Dividend
Annual Dividend
Dividend Percentile
Dividend Dropped Count (L10Y)
Ex-dividend Date
Div. Payment Date
ALTO
ALTO INGREDIENTS INC
$436.24MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
KOP
KOPPERS HOLDINGS INC
$914.67M0.71%8.50%$0.0900$0.3415%0
SQM
CHEMICAL & MINING CO OF CHILE INC
$20.91B0.91%0.00%$0.6692$0.6719%14
FUL
FULLER H B CO
$3.01B1.71%28.10%$0.2500$0.9638%0
ALB
ALBEMARLE CORP
$14.87B1.29%-47.50%$0.4050$1.6229%0
NGVT
INGEVITY CORP
$2.51BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
MTX
MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC
$2.25B0.65%8.90%$0.1200$0.4713%0
ECVT
ECOVYST INC
$1.30BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
ODC
OIL-DRI CORP OF AMERICA
$1.51B0.74%18.70%$0.2050$0.7715%12026-08-072026-08-21
MATV
MATIV HOLDINGS INC
$430.47M5.12%28.80%$0.1000$0.4084%1
SSL
SASOL LTD
$6.80BN/A0.00%$0.1037N/AN/A4
AVNT
AVIENT CORP
$3.30B3.05%63.30%$0.2750$1.1064%02026-07-15
CBT
CABOT CORP
$4.51B2.09%33.80%$0.4725$1.8246%0
AVTR
AVANTOR INC
$7.09BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
PPG
PPG INDUSTRIES INC
$26.03B2.43%39.90%$0.7100$2.8453%0
LYB
LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES NV
$18.19B7.31%-192.00%$0.6900$4.1290%2
WTTR
SELECT WATER SOLUTIONS INC
$2.66B1.45%133.30%$0.0700$0.2833%0
RPM
RPM INTERNATIONAL INC
$13.41B2.03%40.30%$0.5400$2.1345%02026-07-142026-07-31
SXT
SENSIENT TECHNOLOGIES CORP
$4.93B1.42%48.20%$0.4100$1.6432%0
IOSP
INNOSPEC INC
$2.01B2.19%37.20%$0.9200$1.7948%0
KWR
QUAKER CHEMICAL CORP
$2.57B1.36%717.50%$0.5080$2.0131%02026-07-172026-07-31
WDFC
WD 40 CO
$3.56B1.48%65.10%$1.0200$3.9233%02026-07-172026-07-31
PRM
PERIMETER SOLUTIONS INC
$5.60BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
APD
AIR PRODUCTS & CHEMICALS INC
$66.70B2.40%76.00%$1.8100$7.2053%02026-08-10
BCPC
BALCHEM CORP
$5.21B0.59%19.50%$0.9600$0.9612%0
NEU
NEWMARKET CORP
$7.03B1.54%26.30%$3.0000$11.7534%0
DD
DUPONT DE NEMOURS INC
$18.40B2.25%-1,830.00%$0.6000$3.0349%42026-08-312026-09-15
KRO
KRONOS WORLDWIDE INC
$677.66M3.40%-17.20%$0.0500$0.2068%1
LIN
LINDE PLC
$245.08B1.17%40.30%$1.6000$6.2026%0
SHW
SHERWIN WILLIAMS CO
$82.37B0.95%30.10%$0.8000$3.1820%0
EMN
EASTMAN CHEMICAL CO
$7.73B4.96%95.70%$0.8400$3.3583%0
ASH
ASHLAND INC
$3.06B2.49%-10.70%$0.4200$1.6754%1
CC
CHEMOURS CO
$2.68B1.97%-12.80%$0.0875$0.3544%1
CMT
CORE MOLDING TECHNOLOGIES INC
$215.73MN/A0.00%$0.0500N/AN/A0
ECL
ECOLAB INC
$77.20B1.04%37.10%$0.7300$2.8422%02026-07-15
SOLS
SOLSTICE ADVANCED MATERIALS INC
$9.73B0.24%N/A$0.0750$0.153%0
IFF
INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC
$19.79B2.06%48.00%$0.4000$1.6045%1
SCL
STEPAN CO
$1.28B2.78%-251.60%$0.3950$1.5759%0
YMAT
J-STAR HOLDING CO LTD
$9.78MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
HWKN
HAWKINS INC
$2.79B0.57%19.10%$0.1900$0.7611%1
OEC
ORION SA
$320.85M1.08%-5.20%$0.0207$0.0624%22026-10-07
HDSN
HUDSON TECHNOLOGIES INC
$271.34MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
FF
FUTUREFUEL CORP
$203.53M4.09%-20.00%$0.0100$0.1976%1
WLK
WESTLAKE CORP
$9.67B2.81%-16.70%$0.5300$2.1259%0
LWLG
LIGHTWAVE LOGIC INC
$1.05BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
OLN
OLIN CORP
$2.36B3.87%-49.40%$0.2000$0.8074%0
CITR
CITROTECH INC
$115.59MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
FEAM
5E ADVANCED MATERIALS INC
$54.38MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
GEVO
GEVO INC
$352.95MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
AXTA
AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS LTD
$6.96BN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
SNES
SENESTECH INC
$7.42MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
BGLC
BIONEXUS GENE LAB CORP
$4.38MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
FSI
FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL INC
$76.17MN/A166.70%$0.1000N/AN/A2
NTIC
NORTHERN TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL CORP
$77.40M0.37%-25.00%$0.0100$0.036%2
ESI
ELEMENT SOLUTIONS INC
$9.70B0.80%51.60%$0.0800$0.3217%0
CNEY
CN ENERGY GROUP INC
$2.84MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
LOOP
LOOP INDUSTRIES INC
$39.67MN/A0.00%N/AN/AN/AN/A

Specialty Chemical Stocks FAQ

What are the best specialty chemical stocks to buy right now in Jul 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. Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO)


Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO) is the #1 top specialty chemical stock out of 57 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

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

Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO) has a Due Diligence Score of 32, which is 2 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 30.

ALTO passed 10 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Alto Ingredients has seen its stock return 350.4% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 346 percentage points.

Alto Ingredients has an average 1 year price target of $10.00, an upside of 77.62% from Alto Ingredients's current stock price of $5.63.

Alto Ingredients stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 1 analyst covering Alto Ingredients, 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.

2. Koppers Holdings (NYSE:KOP)


Koppers Holdings (NYSE:KOP) is the #2 top specialty chemical stock out of 57 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Koppers Holdings (NYSE:KOP) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: B, Sentiment: B, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: B.

Koppers Holdings (NYSE:KOP) has a Due Diligence Score of 33, which is 3 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 30.

KOP passed 11 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Koppers Holdings has seen its stock return 37.5% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 33 percentage points.

Koppers Holdings has an average 1 year price target of $55.00, an upside of 15.64% from Koppers Holdings's current stock price of $47.56.

Koppers Holdings stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 1 analyst covering Koppers Holdings, 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.

3. Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile (NYSE:SQM)


Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile (NYSE:SQM) is the #3 top specialty chemical stock out of 57 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +28.5% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile (NYSE:SQM) is: Value: B, Growth: B, Momentum: B, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: B.

Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile (NYSE:SQM) has a Due Diligence Score of 31, which is 1 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 30.

SQM passed 12 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile has seen its stock return 87.09% over the past year, overperforming other specialty chemical stocks by 82 percentage points.

Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile has an average 1 year price target of $87.25, an upside of 19.21% from Chemical & Mining Co Of Chile's current stock price of $73.19.

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

What are the specialty chemical stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 37 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 7.31%, which is 5 percentage points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.04%. Lyondellbasell Industries Nv's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% two times in the last 10 years. Lyondellbasell Industries Nv's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Lyondellbasell Industries Nv's dividend payout ratio of -192% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV)


Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV) has an annual dividend yield of 5.12%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.04%. 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 28.8% indicates that its high dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

3. Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN)


Eastman Chemical Co (NYSE:EMN) has an annual dividend yield of 4.96%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 2.04%. 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 95.7% 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 0.8% in the last day, and down -2.67% over the last week. Wd 40 Co was the among the top gainers in the specialty chemicals industry, gaining 10.65% yesterday.

WD-40 shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q3 financial results. Also, the company raised its FY26 adjusted EPS and sales guidance above estimates.

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. Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV)


Mativ Holdings (NYSE:MATV) 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.

Mativ Holdings has a valuation score of 71, which is 56 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 15. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Mativ Holdings's stock has gained 2.49% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -2 percentage points.

2. Koppers Holdings (NYSE:KOP)


Koppers Holdings (NYSE:KOP) 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.

Koppers Holdings has a valuation score of 29, which is 14 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 15. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Koppers Holdings's stock has gained 37.5% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by 33 percentage points.

3. Fuller H B Co (NYSE:FUL)


Fuller H B Co (NYSE:FUL) 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.

Fuller H B Co has a valuation score of 29, which is 14 points higher than the specialty chemical industry average of 15. It passed 2 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Fuller H B Co's stock has dropped -12.72% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the specialty chemical industry by -17 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 14.58% over the next year.

18.37% of specialty chemical stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 10.2% of specialty chemical stocks are rated B (Buy), 55.1% are rated C (Hold), 14.29% are rated D (Sell), and 2.04% 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 10.63x.
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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.