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Dow Inc. (DOW)

Basic Materials Balanced

Dow Inc. is a global chemical giant that turns raw materials into the essential plastics, coatings, and silicones used in everything from packaging to cars.

$30.29

Is Dow Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: A dominant player in the essential chemicals market. Worth weighing: Currently experiencing negative profit margins. Below, we lay out what it does, what its numbers mean, and the honest risks, so you can decide for yourself.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price-43.1%
= past earnings-report date
Priced in USD - as a UK investor your £ return also moves with the pound-to-dollar exchange rate, on top of the share price itself.
52-week range+1% past year
$30.29
Low $20.40High $42.74
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put $1,000 into Dow Inc.
$569-43%

Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

How much has Dow Inc. actually fallen?

−63%

Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Dow Inc. fell as much as −63% from a high to a later low. Drops of this size are a normal part of owning a share - worth knowing in advance, so a dip doesn't come as a shock.

Worst peak-to-trough fall in the daily closing price over the period we hold. Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.

Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
$21.88B
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
11.69M
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
$29.59 – $30.51
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
$20.40 – $42.74
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
4.6%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
0.43
How bumpy is it?Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. 0.43
Calm
Wild
Steadier than most

Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.

Why has it been moving?▼ -5% past week · ▲ +1% past year

Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.

The bull case

Innovation in sustainable materials leads to new revenue streams.

The bear case

Failure to adapt to stricter environmental regulations.

What does Dow Inc. do?

Dow is a massive industrial player that creates the building blocks for thousands of everyday products. The bulk of the cash is generated by selling these chemicals to other manufacturers, meaning their success is tied closely to the health of the global economy. It comes down to how they juggle costs and demand, since recent profitability has been squeezed by a challenging market environment.

VQGMI
Factor profile

On our factor screen it looks strongest on growth and value, and weakest on quality.

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 61Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 14Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 74Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 49Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 48
Quick checks
What's strong
  • Growth screens high (74/100)
  • A dominant player in the essential chemicals market
  • Provides a steady dividend income for investors
  • Lower price volatility compared to the broader market
What to watch
  • Quality screens low (14/100)
  • Rising costs of raw materials and energy
  • Stricter environmental laws impacting production methods
  • Weak demand from major industries like construction and automotive

What do Dow Inc.'s numbers mean?

Forward P/E
15.3
This suggests that for every pound of expected annual profit, investors are currently paying about 15 pounds for a share.
Around the middle of the 34 Basic Materials shares we cover
P/S
0.6
This shows the company is valued at less than its total annual sales, which is common for large, established industrial firms.
Lower than most of the 33 Basic Materials shares we cover
Dividend yield
4.8%
This is the annual cash payout to shareholders as a percentage of the share price, which can be an attractive feature for those looking for regular income.
Higher than most of the 34 Basic Materials shares we cover
Beta
0.4
A low number like this indicates the share price tends to be less jumpy and volatile than the wider stock market.

How much money does Dow Inc. make?

Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.

RevenueNet income
$0$3.02B$6.05B$9.07B$12.09BQ2 25Q3 25Q4 25Q1 26Q2 26
Gross margin
9.8%
Net margin
-3.1%
Return on equity
-5.5%

Does Dow Inc. pay a dividend?

Yes - Dow Inc. currently pays a dividend of about 4.6% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.

What do the numbers say about Dow Inc.'s dividend?

There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.

Dividend yield4.6%The yearly dividend as a percentage of today's price. A very high figure often means the price has fallen because the market expects a cut, so a big yield is a question to look into, not a prize.
Payout ratio700%The share of profit paid out as dividends. A lower figure leaves headroom; near or above 100% means most or all of the profit is going out as dividends.
Dividend cover0.1×Profit divided by the dividend (the payout ratio the other way up). As a rough convention many income investors like around 2× or more; below 1× means the company paid out more than it earned that year.

Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.

When does Dow Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?

Dow Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-22 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.

Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.

Dow Inc.: reported versus expected earnings per share, recent quarters
ReportedExpected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number.Actual EPSvs expected
2026-07-23$1.28$1.44Beat +13%
2026-04-23$-0.29$-0.14Beat +52%
2026-01-29$-0.51$-0.34Beat +34%
2025-10-23$-0.30$-0.19Beat +37%
2025-07-24$-0.17$-0.42Missed -146%
2025-04-24$-0.01$0.02Beat +250%

Across the last 6 quarters here, Dow Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.

See who else reports over the next two weeks →

Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.

More in Basic Materials

CF IndustriesNewmontEndeavour MiningFresnilloNucorSteel Dynamics, Inc.Freeport-McMoRan Inc.Corteva, Inc.

What are the scenarios for Dow Inc.?

An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.

$43$30$20today · $30▲ Bull · $33• Base · $30▼ Bear · $28in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+5% to +10%A sudden pick-up in global manufacturing demand.
Base
-2% to +2%Steady, flat demand for industrial chemicals.
Bear
-5% to -10%A slowdown in consumer spending on goods.

What are the pros and cons of Dow Inc.?

3bull points
6bear points

How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case3
  • A dominant player in the essential chemicals market
  • Provides a steady dividend income for investors
  • Lower price volatility compared to the broader market
The catch3
  • Currently experiencing negative profit margins
  • Revenue is shrinking year-over-year
  • Highly sensitive to the ups and downs of the global economy
Key risks3
  • Rising costs of raw materials and energy
  • Stricter environmental laws impacting production methods
  • Weak demand from major industries like construction and automotive
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

Confidence: medium · data: USD · flags: pe, earnings_growth · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
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Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →

This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.

Figures as of 2026-08-02. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.