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U.K. (FTSE) Chemicals Industry Analysis

UpdatedMay 27, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies22
  • 7D6.2%
  • 3M1.8%
  • 1Y8.0%
  • YTD4.0%

The Chemicals industry is up 4.7% in the last week, with Croda International up 7.8%. Meanwhile, Symphony Environmental Technologies actually underperformed within the industry, shrinking 6.3% in the last week. This means that the industry has gained 8.7% over the past year. Looking forward, earnings are forecast to grow by 39% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Chemicals Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Wed, 27 May 2026UK£10.6bUK£16.6b-UK£140,712,227.9123x-75.2x0.6x
Fri, 24 Apr 2026UK£10.1bUK£16.7b-UK£20,558,984.3020.1x-490x0.6x
Sun, 22 Mar 2026UK£8.8bUK£16.7b-UK£20,073,324.2017.5x-437x0.5x
Tue, 17 Feb 2026UK£10.6bUK£16.8b-UK£37,700,312.2227.2x-282.1x0.6x
Thu, 15 Jan 2026UK£10.4bUK£16.8b-UK£32,413,632.1421.8x-321.4x0.6x
Sat, 13 Dec 2025UK£9.8bUK£16.8b-UK£41,154,386.1023.7x-237.4x0.6x
Mon, 10 Nov 2025UK£9.8bUK£16.8bUK£423.1m18.4x23.3x0.6x
Wed, 08 Oct 2025UK£10.0bUK£16.8bUK£424.0m20x23.6x0.6x
Fri, 05 Sep 2025UK£9.1bUK£16.7bUK£432.4m23x21.2x0.5x
Sun, 03 Aug 2025UK£9.1bUK£16.8bUK£432.7m21x21.1x0.5x
Tue, 01 Jul 2025UK£9.7bUK£16.8bUK£450.0m22.2x21.6x0.6x
Thu, 29 May 2025UK£9.7bUK£16.8bUK£449.6m21.8x21.6x0.6x
Sat, 26 Apr 2025UK£8.6bUK£17.1bUK£594.3m18.6x14.5x0.5x
Mon, 24 Mar 2025UK£9.1bUK£17.1bUK£579.8m20.2x15.7x0.5x
Wed, 19 Feb 2025UK£10.0bUK£17.1bUK£577.8m16.8x17.4x0.6x
Fri, 17 Jan 2025UK£9.8bUK£17.1bUK£576.4m18.8x17x0.6x
Sun, 15 Dec 2024UK£10.3bUK£17.1bUK£583.6m17.8x17.7x0.6x
Tue, 12 Nov 2024UK£11.0bUK£18.2bUK£164.7m24.2x66.8x0.6x
Thu, 10 Oct 2024UK£11.7bUK£18.1bUK£165.5m23.8x70.7x0.6x
Sat, 07 Sep 2024UK£11.6bUK£18.1bUK£155.0m25.7x74.7x0.6x
Mon, 05 Aug 2024UK£12.0bUK£18.2bUK£130.6m26.6x91.9x0.7x
Wed, 03 Jul 2024UK£11.9bUK£18.2bUK£189.7m29.6x62.6x0.7x
Fri, 31 May 2024UK£13.5bUK£18.2bUK£186.0m32.7x72.4x0.7x
Sun, 28 Apr 2024UK£13.3bUK£19.6bUK£286.4m23.5x46.4x0.7x
Tue, 26 Mar 2024UK£13.8bUK£19.5bUK£265.7m22.2x51.8x0.7x
Thu, 22 Feb 2024UK£13.2bUK£20.0bUK£144.4m17.6x91.1x0.7x
Sat, 20 Jan 2024UK£12.3bUK£20.0bUK£140.7m17.7x87.6x0.6x
Mon, 18 Dec 2023UK£13.5bUK£20.0bUK£140.4m19.3x96.3x0.7x
Wed, 15 Nov 2023UK£13.0bUK£20.8bUK£230.9m16.1x56.1x0.6x
Fri, 13 Oct 2023UK£12.2bUK£20.9bUK£257.3m16.9x47.4x0.6x
Sun, 10 Sep 2023UK£13.8bUK£20.8bUK£221.0m23.5x62.2x0.7x
Tue, 08 Aug 2023UK£14.7bUK£21.0bUK£337.5m27.1x43.5x0.7x
Thu, 06 Jul 2023UK£14.2bUK£21.2bUK£803.1m16x17.7x0.7x
Sat, 03 Jun 2023UK£16.0bUK£21.2bUK£801.8m15.2x19.9x0.8x
Price to Earnings Ratio

19.9x


Total Market Cap: UK£16.0bTotal Earnings: UK£801.8mTotal Revenue: UK£21.2bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Chemicals Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average -12.4x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are relatively neutral on the British Chemicals industry at the moment, indicating that they anticipate long term growth rates to remain steady.
  • The industry is trading close to its 3-year average PS ratio of 0.62x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • Total earnings for the Chemicals industry have declined over the last three years, with the industry now making a loss overall.
  • Revenues have also declined 7.9% per year, which is driving profits down.

Industry Trends

Which industries have driven the changes within the U.K. Materials industry?

GB Market1.80%
Materials5.71%
Chemicals6.21%
Specialty Chemicals6.43%
Commodity Chemicals4.89%
Industrial Gases-0.87%
Fertilizers and Agricultural Chemicals-1.77%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Commodity Chemicals industry even though it's trading below its 3-year average PE ratio of 29.1x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 31.0%, which is higher than its past year's earnings decline of 81.9% per year.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Fertilizers and Agricultural Chemicals industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 48% over the next 5 years.
  • In contrast, the Commodity Chemicals industry is expected to see its earnings grow by 31% per year over the next few years.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
CRDA Croda InternationalUK£29.877.8%
+UK£300.8m		-2.9%PE67.4x
JMAT Johnson MattheyUK£22.125.4%
+UK£191.2m		29.8%PS0.3x
ELM ElementisUK£1.514.3%
+UK£35.5m		4.1%PE18.6x
VCT VictrexUK£6.325.7%
+UK£29.6m		-20.8%PS1.9x
SNOX SulNOx GroupUK£0.5529.4%
+UK£18.1m		-29.0%PS42.2x

Latest News

SYNT
UK£1.13
Synthomer
7D
7.6%
1Y
9.0%
ESNT
UK£0.86
Essentra
7D
5.5%
1Y
-11.7%
Narrative Update • May 25

ESNT: Reset Dividend And Margin Assumptions Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have trimmed their fair value estimate for Essentra, with the updated price target moving from about £1.76 to £1.67. This reflects recent research that cites a slightly higher discount rate, modestly adjusted growth and margin assumptions, and recent downgrades from major brokers.
VCT
UK£6.32
Victrex
7D
5.7%
1Y
-20.8%
Narrative Update • May 21

VCT: Margin Execution And Lower P/E Framework Will Support Future Re Rating

Analysts have trimmed their implied price target on Victrex by about £0.39, citing updated assumptions around profit margins, revenue growth and a lower future P/E multiple following recent Street research. Analyst Commentary Street research around Victrex has shifted to a more cautious stance on valuation, with the latest move being a £1.00 cut to the implied price target from JPMorgan.
SNOX
UK£0.55
SulNOx Group
7D
29.4%
1Y
-29.0%
ELM
UK£1.51
Elementis
7D
4.3%
1Y
4.1%
Narrative Update • May 17

ELM: Refined Assumptions Will Still Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have trimmed their price target on Elementis to £2.00 from £2.05, citing updated assumptions around fair value, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margins and future P/E multiples. Analyst Commentary Bullish analysts continue to see upside in Elementis even after the price target revision to £2.00, pointing to what they view as an attractive entry point relative to their fair value work.
CRDA
UK£29.87
Croda International
7D
7.8%
1Y
-2.9%
Narrative Update • May 17

CRDA: Mixed Broker Upgrades And Execution Risks Will Shape Future P/E Expectations

Analysts have adjusted their price targets on Croda International to around £32.80. This reflects updated assumptions on revenue growth, profit margins and future P/E multiples following a series of recent rating upgrades and target tweaks across the Street.
JMAT
UK£22.12
Johnson Matthey
7D
5.4%
1Y
29.8%
Narrative Update • May 15

JMAT: Future Returns Will Reflect Reset Expectations And Large £1b Shareholder Cash Return

Johnson Matthey’s analyst price targets have been reduced by up to £550 per share to around £2,000 to £2,250, as analysts reflect a more balanced risk and reward profile and adjust assumptions on discount rates and future P/E multiples. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates on Johnson Matthey cluster around price targets in the £2,000 to £2,250 range, with several firms revising their assumptions and one major bank changing its stance on the stock.
SYM
UK£0.075
Symphony Environmental Technologies
7D
-6.3%
1Y
0%
ATOM
UK£0.60
Atome
7D
-3.2%
1Y
39.5%
RIFT
UK£0.083
Rift Helium
7D
-9.6%
1Y
n/a
CAR
UK£0.35
Carclo
7D
-0.3%
1Y
-10.4%
HMI
UK£0.0027
Harvest Minerals
7D
-22.3%
1Y
-9.3%
KRPZ
UK£0.013
Kropz
7D
-3.8%
1Y
108.3%