METHANEX CORPORATION vs NEWMARKET CORPORATION, two Chemicals stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
NewMarket blends petroleum additives and earns 23.71% on equity with a 15.25% net margin, chemistry that gets specified into fuels and reordered on schedule. Methanex makes methanol, one commodity, and earns 5.31% on equity at a 4.03% margin that tracks the methanol price. NewMarket trades at 18.04 times earnings against Methanex's 43.72, and pays a 1.42% dividend from real profit. Methanex's 26.28% free-cash yield is a one-off spike to treat with caution, not a run rate; NewMarket's 5.87% is the steadier figure. Both keep debt manageable. Recurring additive demand sits on firmer ground than a single-molecule price.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | MEOH | NEU |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $48.66 | $762.64 |
| Market cap | $3.5B | $7.1B |
| Sector | Chemicals | Chemicals |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +0.5% | -4.1% |
| P/E | 44.2 | 17.4 |
| P/B | 1.29 | 4.10 |
| P/S | 0.98 | 2.64 |
| EV/EBITDA | 3.5 | 12.2 |
| Revenue growth | -4.9% | -3.5% |
| Gross margin | — | 33.0% |
| Operating margin | 12.0% | 21.4% |
| Net margin | 4.0% | 15.3% |
| Return on equity | 5.3% | 23.7% |
| Return on assets | 2.0% | 11.7% |
| Return on invested capital | 11.3% | 15.4% |
| FCF yield | 26.0% | 6.1% |
| Dividend yield | — | 1.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.54 |
| Current ratio | 2.06 | 2.55 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.13 | 4.19 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.