Investing IdeasBrowse All StocksMarkets
Have your own idea? Try our Stock Screener
Header cover image

U.K. (FTSE) Chemicals Industry Analysis

UpdatedApr 14, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies20
  • 7D3.6%
  • 3M-4.2%
  • 1Y23.3%
  • YTD-2.0%

In the last week, the Chemicals industry is up 3.6%, with Johnson Matthey up 4.4%. During this same period, the Essentra underperformed, falling 7.3%. This takes the industry's 12 month performance to a gain of 23%. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 28% per annum.

Industry Valuation and Performance

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

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Tue, 14 Apr 2026UK£9.9bUK£16.7b-UK£20,688,007.8719.4x-479x0.6x
Thu, 12 Mar 2026UK£9.5bUK£16.7b-UK£35,010,489.4424x-270.9x0.6x
Sat, 07 Feb 2026UK£10.5bUK£16.8b-UK£37,733,468.3126.3x-277.5x0.6x
Mon, 05 Jan 2026UK£10.1bUK£16.8b-UK£32,402,580.1820.7x-311.3x0.6x
Wed, 03 Dec 2025UK£9.6bUK£16.8b-UK£40,831,338.9723.3x-236.1x0.6x
Fri, 31 Oct 2025UK£10.2bUK£16.8bUK£423.0m19x24.1x0.6x
Sun, 28 Sep 2025UK£9.6bUK£16.8bUK£425.3m20.1x22.5x0.6x
Tue, 26 Aug 2025UK£9.4bUK£16.7bUK£432.4m22.7x21.6x0.6x
Thu, 24 Jul 2025UK£9.8bUK£16.8bUK£449.6m22.3x21.8x0.6x
Sat, 21 Jun 2025UK£9.6bUK£16.8bUK£449.6m21.2x21.4x0.6x
Mon, 19 May 2025UK£9.1bUK£17.1bUK£602.6m22.4x15.1x0.5x
Wed, 16 Apr 2025UK£8.1bUK£17.1bUK£592.6m18.9x13.6x0.5x
Fri, 14 Mar 2025UK£9.5bUK£17.1bUK£582.0m15.9x16.4x0.6x
Sun, 09 Feb 2025UK£9.7bUK£17.1bUK£577.2m17.1x16.9x0.6x
Tue, 07 Jan 2025UK£10.0bUK£17.1bUK£577.4m19.8x17.4x0.6x
Thu, 05 Dec 2024UK£10.4bUK£17.2bUK£577.5m21x18x0.6x
Sat, 02 Nov 2024UK£11.0bUK£18.2bUK£165.1m24.6x66.4x0.6x
Mon, 30 Sep 2024UK£12.2bUK£18.1bUK£158.0m25.4x77.4x0.7x
Wed, 28 Aug 2024UK£12.2bUK£18.1bUK£155.2m26.8x78.5x0.7x
Fri, 26 Jul 2024UK£12.2bUK£18.2bUK£193.2m28.9x63.2x0.7x
Sun, 23 Jun 2024UK£12.1bUK£18.2bUK£191.3m29.8x63.2x0.7x
Tue, 21 May 2024UK£14.0bUK£19.5bUK£255.3m32.8x54.6x0.7x
Thu, 18 Apr 2024UK£13.7bUK£19.6bUK£286.4m22.9x47.8x0.7x
Sat, 16 Mar 2024UK£13.1bUK£19.6bUK£244.5m17.6x53.6x0.7x
Mon, 12 Feb 2024UK£13.2bUK£20.0bUK£144.4m17.8x91.5x0.7x
Wed, 10 Jan 2024UK£13.0bUK£20.0bUK£140.8m18.8x92.3x0.7x
Fri, 08 Dec 2023UK£12.8bUK£20.0bUK£139.9m18.3x91.4x0.6x
Sun, 05 Nov 2023UK£12.7bUK£20.8bUK£258.1m17.9x49.4x0.6x
Tue, 03 Oct 2023UK£12.9bUK£20.9bUK£257.0m16.7x50.3x0.6x
Thu, 31 Aug 2023UK£14.1bUK£21.0bUK£356.3m24.8x39.6x0.7x
Sat, 29 Jul 2023UK£15.2bUK£21.0bUK£347.8m28.1x43.8x0.7x
Mon, 26 Jun 2023UK£14.2bUK£21.2bUK£802.1m14x17.7x0.7x
Wed, 24 May 2023UK£16.3bUK£21.2bUK£829.0m15.6x19.7x0.8x
Fri, 21 Apr 2023UK£17.6bUK£21.1bUK£835.6m16.7x21.1x0.8x
Price to Earnings Ratio

21.1x


Total Market Cap: UK£17.6bTotal Earnings: UK£835.6mTotal Revenue: UK£21.1bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Chemicals Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average -1.7x202420252026
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 0.63x.
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 7.5% per year, which is driving profits down.

Industry Trends

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

GB Market1.71%
Materials3.51%
Chemicals3.55%
Fertilizers and Agricultural Chemicals21.79%
Industrial Gases4.20%
Specialty Chemicals3.70%
Commodity Chemicals-2.59%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Commodity Chemicals industry even though it's trading below its 3-year average PE ratio of 27.4x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 32.5%, which is higher than its past year's earnings decline of 81.9% per year.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Commodity Chemicals industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 33% over the next 5 years.
  • This is better than its past earnings decline of 82% per year.
  • In contrast, the Fertilizers and Agricultural Chemicals industry is expected to see its earnings decline by 3.8% 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
JMAT Johnson MattheyUK£20.305.8%
+UK£187.9m		69.2%PS0.3x
CRDA Croda InternationalUK£29.461.9%
+UK£78.0m		10.6%PE66.2x
ELM ElementisUK£1.585.6%
+UK£47.8m		27.5%PE19.6x
VCT VictrexUK£6.277.5%
+UK£38.3m		-22.2%PE19.6x
SYNT SynthomerUK£0.5120.4%
+UK£14.2m		-39.5%PS0.04x

Latest News

ESNT
UK£0.84
Essentra
7D
-4.1%
1Y
-9.7%
EDEN
UK£0.035
Eden Research
7D
21.1%
1Y
25.0%
SYNT
UK£0.51
Synthomer
7D
20.4%
1Y
-39.5%
VCT
UK£6.27
Victrex
7D
7.5%
1Y
-22.2%

VCT: Refined Cash Flow Assumptions Will Support Future Re Rating Potential

Analysts have trimmed their price target on Victrex by £1.00, citing updated assumptions around discount rates, revenue growth, and profit margins as key drivers of the revision. Analyst Commentary JPMorgan has reduced its price target on Victrex by £1.00, reflecting refreshed assumptions around discount rates, revenue growth, and margins.
CRDA
UK£29.46
Croda International
7D
1.9%
1Y
10.6%

CRDA: Recent Upgrades And Higher 3,280 Price Level Will Support Re Rating

Analysts have nudged their fair value estimate for Croda International slightly lower to about £47.96 from £48.16, reflecting modest adjustments to discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E assumptions, alongside mixed but generally constructive recent research, including both target cuts and upgrades. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Croda International has leaned constructive, with several bullish analysts updating their views through rating changes and revised price targets.
JMAT
UK£20.30
Johnson Matthey
7D
5.8%
1Y
69.2%

JMAT: Future Returns Will Reflect Cautious Ratings And Large Capital Return Plan

Analysts have trimmed their Johnson Matthey price targets, with recent adjustments such as Berenberg moving to £22.50 from £25.50 and Deutsche Bank to £21.20 from £24.00. These changes reflect reassessments of growth and margin assumptions, alongside a shift to Neutral ratings at some firms around the £20.00 level.
ZTF
UK£3.79
Zotefoams
7D
5.3%
1Y
52.2%

ZTF: 2025 Revenue Outlook Will Support Margin Recovery And Repricing Potential

Analysts have set their price target for Zotefoams at £6.13, keeping it unchanged overall as small tweaks to assumptions on discount rate, profit margin and future P/E balance each other out. What's in the News Zotefoams issued unaudited earnings guidance for the year ending 31 December 2025, giving investors a clearer view of expected financial outcomes.
ELM
UK£1.58
Elementis
7D
5.6%
1Y
27.5%

We Think Elementis' (LON:ELM) Solid Earnings Are Understated

Apr 01
We Think Elementis' (LON:ELM) Solid Earnings Are Understated
SNOX
UK£0.55
SulNOx Group
7D
22.2%
1Y
-40.5%
GEX
UK£0.039
Georgina Energy
7D
-13.9%
1Y
-61.7%
HEX
UK£0.46
Helix Exploration
7D
-0.9%
1Y
218.3%