AU vs. CF: AngloGold Ashanti vs. CF Industries Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF) both fall under the Materials industry group, but AU is classified in Metals & Mining while CF is classified in Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF)
Profile Item	AU	CF
Name	AngloGold Ashanti plc	CF Industries Holdings, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Gold	Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals
Market Capitalization	47.04 billion USD	17.46 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 5, 1998	August 11, 2005
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF)
Metric	AU	CF
Total Return (1Y)	47.97%	49.36%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	87.34%	17.00%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	42.76%	16.09%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF)
Metric	AU	CF
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	60.11%	43.66%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.56
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-51.75%	-48.36%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.54M	2.49M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AU and CF are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF)
Metric	AU	CF
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.73	1.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.07	1.59

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 44.33% and CF Industries (CF) at 30.86% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

AU

Materials industry group

44.33%

Max: 52.88%
AU: 44.33%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

CF

Materials industry group

30.86%

Max: 52.88%
CF: 30.86%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 32.64% and CF Industries (CF) at 27.48% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

AU

Materials industry group

32.64%

Max: 38.66%
AU: 32.64%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

CF

Materials industry group

27.48%

Max: 38.66%
CF: 27.48%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 45.36% and CF Industries (CF) at 34.36% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

AU

Materials industry group

45.36%

Max: 66.70%
AU: 45.36%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

CF

Materials industry group

34.36%

Max: 66.70%
CF: 34.36%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF)
Metric	AU	CF
ROE (TTM)	44.33%	30.86%
ROA (TTM)	24.39%	12.61%
Net Margin (TTM)	32.64%	27.48%
Operating Margin (TTM)	45.36%	34.36%
Gross Margin (TTM)	54.84%	42.52%

Growth

Revenue Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 70.78% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while CF Industries (CF) at 19.34% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 122.32% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while CF Industries (CF) at 33.09% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF)
Metric	AU	CF
Revenue Growth (YoY)	70.78%	19.34%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	30.02%	-14.12%
EPS Growth (YoY)	122.32%	33.09%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	93.95%	-18.19%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 2.55 and CF Industries (CF) at 2.98 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AU

Materials industry group

2.55

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
AU: 2.55
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

CF

Materials industry group

2.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
CF: 2.98
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 0.16 and CF Industries (CF) at 0.41 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AU

Materials industry group

0.16

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
AU: 0.16
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

CF

Materials industry group

0.41

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
CF: 0.41
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF)
Metric	AU	CF
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.55	2.98
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.16	0.41
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.17	0.21

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 1.77% pays an industry-typical yield; AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 4.88% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

AU

Materials industry group

4.88%

AU: 4.88%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CF

Materials industry group

1.77%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
CF: 1.77%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 14.81% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 58.78% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AU

Materials industry group

58.78%

Max: 83.62%
AU: 58.78%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CF

Materials industry group

14.81%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
CF: 14.81%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF)
Metric	AU	CF
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.88%	1.77%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	58.78%	14.81%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 8.42 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 12.09 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for CF, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

AU

Materials industry group

12.09

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
AU: 12.09
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

CF

Materials industry group

8.42

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
CF: 8.42
Min: 3.93

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 3.91 and CF Industries (CF) at 2.20 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

AU

Materials industry group

3.91

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
AU: 3.91
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

CF

Materials industry group

2.20

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
CF: 2.20
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

CF Industries (CF) at 3.10 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 5.01 carries an above-peer premium to book — AU is pricier on assets.

AU

Materials industry group

5.01

Max: 6.59
AU: 5.01
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

CF

Materials industry group

3.10

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
CF: 3.10
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. CF Industries (CF): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and CF Industries (CF)
Metric	AU	CF
P/E Ratio (TTM)	12.09	8.42
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.91	2.20
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.01	3.10
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	7.61%	9.10%