Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 6 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Chemicals industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.
Why Focus on Undervalued Chemicals Stocks?
Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.
AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.
What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?
Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.
AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.
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6 Undervalued Chemicals Stocks
Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 6 undervalued stocks in the Chemicals industry for Tuesday, October 08, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Chemicals industry median.
| Company | Ticker | Price/Sales | Price/Earnings | EV/EBITDA | Shareholder Yield | Price/Book Value | Price/Free Cash Flow | Value Grade |
| Alto Ingredients, Inc. | ALTO | 0.11 | na | na | (0.1%) | 0.42 | 161.0 | B |
| Bon Natural Life Limited | BON | 0.08 | 0.8 | 3.8 | (44.2%) | 0.06 | na | A |
| ICL Group Ltd | ICL | 0.74 | 12.2 | 7.0 | 17.9% | 0.86 | 13.9 | A |
| LyondellBasell Industries N.V. | LYB | 0.76 | 13.4 | 9.0 | 5.6% | 2.38 | 34.4 | B |
| Itafos Inc. | MBCF | 0.47 | na | 2.1 | (0.8%) | 0.85 | 5.4 | A |
| Olin Corporation | OLN | 0.90 | 21.2 | 8.3 | 8.7% | 2.51 | 11.6 | B |
The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.
The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)
Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).
As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.
Alto Ingredients, Inc.’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | ALTO | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 5 | 0.11 | 1.36 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 26.4 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 11.9 |
| Shareholder Yield | 51 | (0.1%) | 1.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 11 | 0.42 | 1.64 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 96 | 161.0 | 20.7 |
Alto Ingredients, Inc. produces, distributes, and markets specialty alcohols, renewable fuel, and essential ingredients in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Marketing and Distribution, Pekin Campus Production, and Western Production. It offers specialty alcohols used in mouthwash, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and cleaners for health, home, and beauty markets; grain neutral spirits used in alcoholic beverages and vinegar, as well as corn germ used in corn oils in the food and beverage markets; alcohols and other products for paint applications and fertilizers in the industrial and agriculture markets; and essential ingredients include dried yeast, corn protein meal, corn protein feed, distiller’s grains, and liquid feed for commercial animal feed and pet food applications, as well as yeast for human consumption. The company also provides fuel-grade ethanol used as transportation fuel and distillers corn oil used as a biodiesel feedstock, as well as fuel-grade ethanol produced by third parties. In addition, it offers transportation, storage, and delivery services through third-party service providers. The company sells ethanol to integrated oil companies and gasoline marketers; essential ingredient feed products to dairies and feedlots; and corn oil to poultry, renewable diesel, and biodiesel customers. It operates alcohol production facilities. The company was formerly known as Pacific Ethanol, Inc. and changed its name to Alto Ingredients, Inc. in January 2021. Alto Ingredients, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Pekin, Illinois.
Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.
Alto Ingredients, Inc. has a Value Score of 62, which is considered to be undervalued.
When you look at Alto Ingredients, Inc.’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.11 compared to the industry median at 1.36, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Alto Ingredients, Inc.’s stock more attractive for value investors.
Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. Alto Ingredients, Inc.’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.40%. Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.
As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Alto Ingredients, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.64. This could make Alto Ingredients, Inc. more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.
Lastly, let’s take a look at Alto Ingredients, Inc.’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Alto Ingredients, Inc.’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 20.65. This could make Alto Ingredients, Inc. less attractive because the higher P/FCF ratio indicates that Alto Ingredients, Inc. is undervalued. The P/FCF ratio metric can also be viewed over a long-term time frame to see if the company's cash flow to share price value is generally improving or worsening.
Bon Natural Life Limited’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | BON | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 3 | 0.08 | 1.36 |
| Price/Earnings | 0 | 0.8 | 26.4 |
| EV/EBITDA | 9 | 3.8 | 11.9 |
| Shareholder Yield | 91 | (44.2%) | 1.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 2 | 0.06 | 1.64 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 20.7 |
Bon Natural Life Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and sale of functional active ingredients extracted from natural herb plants in the People’s Republic of China and internationally. It offers personal care ingredients, such as plant extracted fragrance compounds to perfume and fragrance manufacturers; and natural health supplements comprising powder drinks and bioactive food ingredient products used as food additives and nutritional supplements. Its products are used by manufacturer customers in the functional food, personal care, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Xi'an, the People’s Republic of China.
Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.
Bon Natural Life Limited has a Value Score of 95, which is considered to be undervalued.
Bon Natural Life Limited’s price-earnings ratio is 0.8 compared to the industry median at 26.4. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Bon Natural Life Limited more attractive for value investors.
Bon Natural Life Limited’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Bon Natural Life Limited less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.64.
You can read more about Bon Natural Life Limited’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.
ICL Group Ltd’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | ICL | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 26 | 0.74 | 1.36 |
| Price/Earnings | 29 | 12.2 | 26.4 |
| EV/EBITDA | 21 | 7.0 | 11.9 |
| Shareholder Yield | 1 | 17.9% | 1.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 26 | 0.86 | 1.64 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 37 | 13.9 | 20.7 |
ICL Group Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty minerals and chemicals company worldwide. It operates in four segments: Industrial Products, Potash, Phosphate Solutions, and Growing Solutions. The Industrial Products segment produces bromine out of a solution that is a by-product of the potash production process, as well as bromine-based compounds; produces various grades of potash, salt, magnesium chloride, and magnesia products; and produces and markets phosphorous-based flame retardants and other phosphorus-based products. The Potash segment extracts potash from the Dead Sea; mines and produces potash and salt; produces polysulphate; produces, markets, and sells magnesium and magnesium alloys, as well as related by-products, including chlorine and sylvinite; and sells salt. This segment uses phosphate commodity products to produce specialty products; produces and markets phosphate-based fertilizers, as well as sulphuric acid, green phosphoric acid, and phosphate fertilizers; and offers Phosphate salts and acids for various industrial end markets, such as oral care, cleaning products, paints and coatings, water treatment, asphalt modification, construction, and metal treatment. It also develops and produces functional food ingredients and phosphate additives for use in the processed meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, beverage, and baked goods markets; and produces milk and whey proteins for the food ingredients industry. The Growing Solutions segment develops, manufactures, markets, and sells fertilizers based primarily on nitrogen, potash, and phosphate, including water soluble specialty, liquid, soluble, and controlled-release fertilizers. It sells its products through marketing companies, agents, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Israel Chemicals Ltd. and changed its name to ICL Group Ltd in May 2020. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.
ICL Group Ltd has a Value Score of 93, which is considered to be undervalued.
ICL Group Ltd’s price-earnings ratio is 12.2 compared to the industry median at 26.4. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes ICL Group Ltd more attractive for value investors.
ICL Group Ltd’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make ICL Group Ltd less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.64.
You can read more about ICL Group Ltd’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | LYB | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 27 | 0.76 | 1.36 |
| Price/Earnings | 33 | 13.4 | 26.4 |
| EV/EBITDA | 33 | 9.0 | 11.9 |
| Shareholder Yield | 13 | 5.6% | 1.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 64 | 2.38 | 1.64 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 70 | 34.4 | 20.7 |
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. operates as a chemical company in the United States, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Poland, France, Japan, China, the Netherlands, and internationally. The company operates in six segments: Olefins and Polyolefins—Americas; Olefins and Polyolefins—Europe, Asia, International; Intermediates and Derivatives; Advanced Polymer Solutions; Refining; and Technology. It produces and markets olefins and co-products, polyethylene, and polypropylene; and propylene oxide and derivatives; oxyfuels and related products; and intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, acetyls, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. In addition, the company produce and markets compounding and solutions including polypropylene compounds, engineered plastics, masterbatches, engineered composites, colors and powders, and advanced polymers including catalloy and polybutene-1; and refines heavy, high-sulfur crude oil and other crude oils, as well as refined products, including gasoline and distillates. Further, it develops and licenses chemical and polyolefin process technologies; manufactures and sells polyolefin catalysts; and serves food packaging, home furnishings, automotive components, and paints and coatings applications. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. has a Value Score of 64, which is considered to be undervalued.
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.’s price-earnings ratio is 13.4 compared to the industry median at 26.4. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes LyondellBasell Industries N.V. more attractive for value investors.
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make LyondellBasell Industries N.V. more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.64.
You can read more about LyondellBasell Industries N.V.’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.
Itafos Inc.’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | MBCF | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 18 | 0.47 | 1.36 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 26.4 |
| EV/EBITDA | 5 | 2.1 | 11.9 |
| Shareholder Yield | 58 | (0.8%) | 1.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 26 | 0.85 | 1.64 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 11 | 5.4 | 20.7 |
Itafos Inc. operates as a phosphate and specialty fertilizer company. It operates through Conda, Arrais, and Development and Exploration segments. The company produces and sells monoammonium phosphate (MAP), MAP with micronutrients, superphosphoric acid, merchant grade phosphoric acid, ammonium polyphosphate, hydrofluorosilicic acid, direct application phosphate rock, single superphosphate (SSP), SSP with micronutrients, and sulfuric acid. It also owns interests in the Farim, a phosphate mine project situated in Farim, Guinea-Bissau; Araxá, a rare earth element and niobium mine and extraction plant project that is situated in Minas Gerais, Brazil; Arraias, an integrated phosphate fertilizer project located in Tocantins, Brazil; and Santana, an integrated phosphate mine and fertilizer plant project located in Pará, Brazil. The company was formerly known as MBAC Fertilizer Corp. and changed its name to Itafos Inc. in December 2016. Itafos Inc. is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.
Itafos Inc. has a Value Score of 93, which is considered to be undervalued.
Itafos Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Itafos Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.64.
You can read more about Itafos Inc.’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.
Olin Corporation’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | OLN | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 30 | 0.90 | 1.36 |
| Price/Earnings | 54 | 21.2 | 26.4 |
| EV/EBITDA | 29 | 8.3 | 11.9 |
| Shareholder Yield | 6 | 8.7% | 1.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 65 | 2.51 | 1.64 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 29 | 11.6 | 20.7 |
Olin Corporation manufactures and distributes chemical products in the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Canada. It operates through three segments: Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls; Epoxy; and Winchester. The Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls segment offers chlorine and caustic soda, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride monomers, methyl chloride, methylene chloride, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, perchloroethylene, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, bleach products, potassium hydroxide, and chlorinated organics intermediates and solvents. The Epoxy segment provides Allylics, such as allyl chloride, epichlorohydrin, and glycerin; aromatics, including acetone, bisphenol, cumene, and phenol; liquid and solid epoxy resins; and converted epoxy resins and additives. The Winchester segment offers sporting ammunition products, including shotshells, small caliber centerfire, and rimfire ammunition products for hunters and recreational shooters, and law enforcement agencies; small caliber military ammunition products for use in infantry and mounted weapons; and industrial products comprising gauge loads and powder-actuated tool loads for maintenance applications in power and concrete industries, and powder-actuated tools in construction industry. The company markets its products through its sales force, as well as directly to various industrial customers, mass merchants, retailers, wholesalers, gun clubs, other distributors, and the U.S. Government and its prime contractors. Olin Corporation was incorporated in 1892 and is based in Clayton, Missouri.
Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.
Olin Corporation has a Value Score of 73, which is considered to be undervalued.
Olin Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 21.2 compared to the industry median at 26.4. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Olin Corporation more attractive for value investors.
Olin Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Olin Corporation more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.64.
You can read more about Olin Corporation’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.
Other Chemicals Stock Grades
Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.
Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Chemicals stocks as well as other industrys.
Choosing Which of the 6 Best Chemicals Stocks Is Right for You
Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.
- Alto Ingredients, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Bon Natural Life Limited stock has a Value Grade of A.
- ICL Group Ltd stock has a Value Grade of A.
- LyondellBasell Industries N.V. stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Itafos Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Olin Corporation stock has a Value Grade of B.
Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 6 undervalued stocks in the Chemicals industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.
We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.
A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.
Additional Resources About Chemicals Stocks
Want to learn more about Chemicals stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.
- 6 Undervalued Chemicals Stocks for Tuesday, October 08
- 7 Undervalued Chemicals Stocks for Monday, October 07
- 4 Undervalued Chemicals Stocks for Friday, October 04
- 6 Undervalued Chemicals Stocks for Thursday, October 03
AAII Disclaimer
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