EMN vs CF Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Eastman Chemical and CF Industries both operate in the broader chemicals space, but Eastman Chemical produces diversified specialty materials across packaging, textiles, and other end markets, while CF Industries concentrates on nitrogen fertilizer production, a more commodity-oriented business tied closely to natural gas costs and agricultural demand cycles.
Eastman Chemical offers exposure to diversified specialty chemicals with more differentiated pricing power across multiple end markets, while CF Industries offers a more concentrated, cyclical bet on nitrogen fertilizer pricing tied to natural gas costs and global agricultural demand. Consider whether you prefer Eastman's specialty diversification or CF Industries' commodity cycle leverage.
CF holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. CF has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+39.75% vs +4.83%), though EMN has the better forward P/E setup (9.78x vs 12.02x for CF). CF leads on both revenue growth (17.60%) and operating margin (49.33%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for EMN (+15.61%) than for CF (-0.01%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want exposure to a diversified specialty chemicals portfolio across multiple end markets
- Believe molecular recycling technology investment can capture growing sustainability-driven demand
- Prefer higher-value specialty products with more differentiated pricing over commodity chemicals
- Are comfortable with broader industrial and consumer end-market cyclicality
- Want concentrated exposure to nitrogen fertilizer pricing cycles tied to agricultural demand
- Believe low-cost North American natural gas feedstock provides a durable structural advantage
- Are comfortable with high commodity price cyclicality in exchange for potential upside
- See low-carbon ammonia production as a long-term growth opportunity
| Metric | EMN | CF |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 39.0 | 54.5 |
| AI ranki | #1283 | #276 |
| Latest closei | $65.73 | $120.84 |
| 1M returni | -1.85% | +5.38% |
| 3M returni | -2.88% | +0.88% |
| 6M returni | -8.85% | -2.26% |
| 1Y returni | +4.83% | +39.75% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | EMN | CF |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $10.31K (+3.1%) started 2025-10-27 | $13.99K (+39.9%) started 2025-10-27 |
| 5Y ago | $7.98K (-20.2%) started 2021-10-27 | $24.97K (+149.7%) started 2021-10-27 |
| 10Y ago | $17.31K (+73.1%) started 2016-10-27 | $81.68K (+716.8%) started 2016-10-27 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | EMN | CF |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $7.42B | $19.04B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 16.95 | 9.33 |
| Forward P/Ei | 9.78 | 12.02 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 1.39 | 3.02 |
| Analyst targeti | $75.06 | $125.77 |
| Target upsidei | +15.61% | -0.01% |
| Metric | EMN | CF |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 9.90% | 17.60% |
| Earnings growthi | 32.50% | 99.60% |
| EPS growthi | +32.50% | +99.60% |
| FCF margini | +6.14% | +16.50% |
| Operating margini | 12.89% | 49.33% |
| Profit margini | 4.99% | 27.12% |
| ROIC proxyi | 7.33% | 29.87% |
| Return on equityi | 7.33% | 29.87% |
| Dividend yieldi | 5.17% | 1.91% |
| Payout ratioi | 87.47% | 14.84% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | No increase yet |
| Betai | 1.08 | 0.40 |
| Debt/equityi | 88.52 | 40.50 |
| Current ratioi | 1.50 | 4.86 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.72 | 4.14 |
Over the past year, EMN and CF have moved barely in the same direction (correlation of 0.02), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | EMN | CF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +3.06% | +39.88% |
| CAGRi | +3.07% | +40.07% | |
| Volatilityi | 32.11% | 42.78% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.11 | 0.90 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.17 | 1.36 | |
| Max drawdowni | 23.67% | 25.75% | |
| Current drawdowni | 19.21% | 13.23% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 9.99% | 9.51% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 11.77% | 11.45% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.36% | 9.65% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 10.12% | 11.49% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -29.71% | +130.36% |
| CAGRi | -6.81% | +18.17% | |
| Volatilityi | 32.24% | 38.05% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.20 | 0.51 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.27 | 0.74 | |
| Max drawdowni | 50.50% | 48.36% | |
| Current drawdowni | 42.28% | 13.23% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 27.20% | 21.81% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 29.78% | 24.49% | |
| Max daily dropi | 19.03% | 9.65% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 24.93% | 14.16% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +27.80% | +525.20% |
| CAGRi | +2.48% | +20.12% | |
| Volatilityi | 31.92% | 39.79% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.10 | 0.55 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.14 | 0.80 | |
| Max drawdowni | 62.74% | 60.74% | |
| Current drawdowni | 42.28% | 13.23% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 21.42% | 19.58% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 25.75% | 23.36% | |
| Max daily dropi | 19.03% | 15.39% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 28.97% | 35.72% |
| Category | EMN | CF |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Eastman Chemical Company | CF Industries Holdings, Inc. |
| Sector | Basic Materials | Basic Materials |
| Industry | Specialty Chemicals | Agricultural Inputs |
| Core business | A global specialty materials and chemicals company that produces a diverse range of products used in packaging, textiles, coatings, and other applications, with a strategic emphasis on higher-value specialty chemicals over commodity products. | A producer of nitrogen fertilizer products, including ammonia and urea, used primarily in agricultural applications, with a production footprint concentrated in North America and a growing interest in low-carbon ammonia production. |
| Investor focus | Specialty chemical segment growth and margin trends, progress on molecular recycling technology investment, and end-market diversification across packaging, textiles, and other applications. | Nitrogen fertilizer pricing trends tied to natural gas input costs and global agricultural demand, and progress on low-carbon ammonia production initiatives. |
- Diversified specialty chemical portfolio spans multiple end markets, reducing dependence on any single industry's demand cycle
- Investment in molecular recycling technology positions the company to benefit from growing sustainability-driven demand for recycled materials
- Focus on higher-value specialty products rather than commodity chemicals supports more differentiated pricing and margins
- Low-cost North American natural gas feedstock provides a structural cost advantage in global nitrogen fertilizer production
- Essential role in global agricultural food production supports durable, long-term demand for nitrogen fertilizer products
- Growing investment in low-carbon ammonia production positions the company for potential new clean energy and shipping fuel markets
- Specialty chemical demand is still tied to broader industrial and consumer end-market cycles, including packaging and textiles
- Molecular recycling technology investments require significant capital outlay before generating meaningful commercial returns
- Faces competition from other specialty and diversified chemical companies across its various product lines
- Nitrogen fertilizer prices are highly cyclical, tied closely to natural gas input costs and global agricultural commodity price cycles
- Revenue and profitability can swing significantly with global fertilizer supply and demand imbalances
- Low-carbon ammonia production investments carry technology and market adoption risk before generating meaningful returns
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