AU vs. CF: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison

Updated on July 7, 2025

Here’s a clear look at AU and CF, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.

Company Overview

AU’s market capitalization of 23.52 billion USD is substantially larger than CF’s 15.33 billion USD, indicating a significant difference in their market valuations.

CF carries a higher beta at 0.95, indicating it’s more sensitive to market moves, while AU (beta: 0.49) exhibits greater stability.

Symbol	AU	CF
Company Name	AngloGold Ashanti Plc	CF Industries Holdings, Inc.
Country	GB	US
Sector	Basic Materials	Basic Materials
Industry	Gold	Agricultural Inputs
CEO	Alberto Calderon Zuleta BA Econ, Econ, Law, M Phil Econ,	W. Anthony Will
Price	46.71 USD	94.65 USD
Market Cap	23.52 billion USD	15.33 billion USD
Beta	0.49	0.95
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
IPO Date	August 5, 1998	August 11, 2005
ADR	No	No

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of AU and CF by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period.

Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.

AU vs. CF: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past one year.

Profitability

Return on Equity

AU

25.86%

Gold Industry

Max: 25.86%
Q3: 12.48%
Median: 8.15%
Q1: 2.34%
Min: -3.82%

In the upper quartile for the Gold industry, AU’s Return on Equity of 25.86% signals a highly effective use of shareholder capital to drive profitability compared to most of its peers.

CF

26.17%

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 7.27%
Q3: 7.27%
Median: 4.65%
Q1: 2.14%
Min: 2.14%

CF’s Return on Equity of 26.17% is exceptionally high, placing it well beyond the typical range for the Agricultural Inputs industry. This demonstrates a superior ability to generate profit from shareholder investments, though it could also be inflated by high financial leverage.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their ROE against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Return on Invested Capital

AU

12.23%

Gold Industry

Max: 20.84%
Q3: 9.90%
Median: 5.11%
Q1: 1.36%
Min: -10.62%

In the upper quartile for the Gold industry, AU’s Return on Invested Capital of 12.23% signifies a highly effective use of its capital to generate profits when compared to its peers.

CF

9.49%

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 11.45%
Q3: 9.49%
Median: 5.13%
Q1: 2.30%
Min: 1.24%

CF’s Return on Invested Capital of 9.49% is in line with the norm for the Agricultural Inputs industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their ROIC against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin

AU

17.91%

Gold Industry

Max: 26.48%
Q3: 21.01%
Median: 16.48%
Q1: 8.22%
Min: -6.63%

AU’s Net Profit Margin of 17.91% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Gold industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

CF

21.80%

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 13.95%
Q3: 7.95%
Median: 5.66%
Q1: 2.06%
Min: 1.04%

CF’s Net Profit Margin of 21.80% is exceptionally high, placing it well beyond the typical range for the Agricultural Inputs industry. This demonstrates outstanding operational efficiency and a strong competitive advantage in converting revenue into profit.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin

AU

29.67%

Gold Industry

Max: 67.43%
Q3: 40.39%
Median: 30.64%
Q1: 19.83%
Min: -9.84%

AU’s Operating Profit Margin of 29.67% is around the midpoint for the Gold industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

CF

23.04%

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 23.04%
Q3: 14.70%
Median: 11.01%
Q1: 7.11%
Min: 3.65%

An Operating Profit Margin of 23.04% places CF in the upper quartile for the Agricultural Inputs industry. This signals a strong ability to translate revenue into operating profit, outperforming most of its competitors in core business efficiency.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their Operating Margin against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	AU	CF
Return on Equity (TTM)	25.86%	26.17%
Return on Assets (TTM)	10.37%	10.04%
Return on Invested Capital (TTM)	12.23%	9.49%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	17.91%	21.80%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	29.67%	23.04%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	35.78%	36.20%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio

AU

2.34

Gold Industry

Max: 4.98
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.34
Q1: 1.51
Min: 0.52

AU’s Current Ratio of 2.34 aligns with the median group of the Gold industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

CF

2.59

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 2.59
Q3: 2.50
Median: 1.54
Q1: 1.44
Min: 1.12

CF’s Current Ratio of 2.59 is in the upper quartile for the Agricultural Inputs industry. This signifies a strong liquidity position, suggesting the company is well-equipped to cover its immediate liabilities compared to its peers.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their Current Ratio against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio

AU

0.33

Gold Industry

Max: 0.67
Q3: 0.34
Median: 0.17
Q1: 0.06
Min: 0.00

AU’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.33 is typical for the Gold industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

CF

0.69

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 0.91
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.42
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.01

CF’s leverage is in the upper quartile of the Agricultural Inputs industry, with a Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.69. While this approach can boost equity growth, it also exposes the company to greater financial vulnerability.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their D/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio

AU

14.20

Gold Industry

Max: 45.23
Q3: 25.79
Median: 13.44
Q1: 2.91
Min: -6.26

AU’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 14.20 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Gold industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

CF

11.87

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 4.73
Q3: 4.73
Median: 3.51
Q1: 1.95
Min: 1.30

With an Interest Coverage Ratio of 11.87, CF demonstrates a superior capacity to service its debt, placing it well above the typical range for the Agricultural Inputs industry. This stems from either robust earnings or a conservative debt load.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their Interest Coverage against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	AU	CF
Current Ratio (TTM)	2.34	2.59
Quick Ratio (TTM)	1.57	2.22
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM)	0.33	0.69
Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM)	0.17	0.25
Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM)	0.25	0.86
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	14.20	11.87

Growth

The following charts compare key year-over-year (YoY) growth metrics for AU and CF. These metrics are based on the companies’ annual financial reports.

Revenue Growth

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Revenue Growth.

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth.

Free Cash Flow Growth

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Free Cash Flow Growth.

Dividend

Dividend Yield

AU

0.27%

Gold Industry

Max: 3.65%
Q3: 1.37%
Median: 0.47%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AU’s Dividend Yield of 0.27% is consistent with its peers in the Gold industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

CF

2.11%

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 8.05%
Q3: 5.41%
Median: 3.73%
Q1: 2.20%
Min: 0.00%

CF’s Dividend Yield of 2.11% is in the lower quartile for the Agricultural Inputs industry. This suggests the company’s strategy likely favors retaining earnings for growth over providing a high dividend income.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their Dividend Yield against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio

AU

45.43%

Gold Industry

Max: 110.70%
Q3: 42.09%
Median: 15.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AU’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 45.43% is in the upper quartile for the Gold industry. This indicates a strong commitment to shareholder returns but also suggests that a smaller portion of earnings is retained for reinvestment compared to many peers.

CF

26.42%

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 424.10%
Q3: 73.93%
Median: 66.58%
Q1: 26.42%
Min: 0.00%

CF’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 26.42% is within the typical range for the Agricultural Inputs industry, suggesting a balanced approach between shareholder payouts and company reinvestment.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their Payout Ratio against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	AU	CF
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.27%	2.11%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	45.43%	26.42%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio

AU

16.93

Gold Industry

Max: 64.00
Q3: 46.06
Median: 29.03
Q1: 16.74
Min: 1.00

AU’s P/E Ratio of 16.93 is within the middle range for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.

CF

11.94

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 53.97
Q3: 47.01
Median: 26.38
Q1: 15.38
Min: 11.48

In the lower quartile for the Agricultural Inputs industry, CF’s P/E Ratio of 11.94 suggests the stock may be undervalued compared to its peers, potentially presenting an attractive entry point for investors.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their P/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Forward P/E to Growth Ratio

AU

-0.86

Gold Industry

Max: 14.01
Q3: 6.52
Median: 3.33
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.05

The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Gold industry.

CF

6.70

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 6.44
Q3: 5.70
Median: 2.87
Q1: 1.84
Min: 0.52

The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Agricultural Inputs industry.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their Forward PEG Ratio against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio

AU

3.03

Gold Industry

Max: 15.12
Q3: 7.63
Median: 3.25
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.79

AU’s P/S Ratio of 3.03 aligns with the market consensus for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

CF

2.50

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 2.41
Q3: 1.73
Median: 1.30
Q1: 1.11
Min: 1.01

With a P/S Ratio of 2.50, CF trades at a valuation that eclipses even the highest in the Agricultural Inputs industry. This implies the market has priced in exceptionally optimistic scenarios for future revenue growth, posing considerable valuation risk.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their P/S Ratio against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio

AU

3.47

Gold Industry

Max: 6.10
Q3: 3.60
Median: 2.02
Q1: 1.35
Min: 0.26

AU’s P/B Ratio of 3.47 is within the conventional range for the Gold industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.

CF

3.34

Agricultural Inputs Industry

Max: 3.21
Q3: 2.35
Median: 1.36
Q1: 1.13
Min: 0.95

At 3.34, CF’s P/B Ratio is at an extreme premium to the Agricultural Inputs industry. This signifies that the market’s valuation is heavily reliant on future potential rather than its current net asset value, which can be a high-risk proposition.

AU vs. CF: A comparison of their P/B Ratio against their respective Gold and Agricultural Inputs industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	AU	CF
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM)	16.93	11.94
Forward PEG Ratio (TTM)	-0.86	6.70
Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM)	3.03	2.50
Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM)	3.47	3.34
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM)	18.13	8.24
EV-to-EBITDA (TTM)	7.94	7.84
EV-to-Sales (TTM)	3.13	2.81