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

Updated on July 8, 2025

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

Company Overview

AU’s market capitalization stands at 23.52 billion USD, while DOW’s is 20.12 billion USD, indicating their market valuations are broadly comparable.

DOW carries a higher beta at 0.88, indicating it’s more sensitive to market moves, while AU (beta: 0.49) exhibits greater stability.

Symbol	AU	DOW
Company Name	AngloGold Ashanti Plc	Dow Inc.
Country	GB	US
Sector	Basic Materials	Basic Materials
Industry	Gold	Chemicals
CEO	Alberto Calderon Zuleta BA Econ, Econ, Law, M Phil Econ,	James R. Fitterling
Price	46.71 USD	28.46 USD
Market Cap	23.52 billion USD	20.12 billion USD
Beta	0.49	0.88
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
IPO Date	August 5, 1998	March 20, 2019
ADR	No	No

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of AU and DOW 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. DOW: 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.

DOW

1.63%

Chemicals Industry

Max: 12.03%
Q3: 11.24%
Median: 1.63%
Q1: -4.72%
Min: -26.84%

DOW’s Return on Equity of 1.63% is on par with the norm for the Chemicals industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their ROE against their respective Gold and Chemicals 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.

DOW

1.39%

Chemicals Industry

Max: 16.50%
Q3: 7.11%
Median: -0.79%
Q1: -3.65%
Min: -4.54%

DOW’s Return on Invested Capital of 1.39% is in line with the norm for the Chemicals industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their ROIC against their respective Gold and Chemicals 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.

DOW

0.68%

Chemicals Industry

Max: 8.25%
Q3: 5.49%
Median: -1.29%
Q1: -8.40%
Min: -16.54%

DOW’s Net Profit Margin of 0.68% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Chemicals industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin against their respective Gold and Chemicals 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.

DOW

3.25%

Chemicals Industry

Max: 13.39%
Q3: 8.15%
Median: 3.25%
Q1: -1.95%
Min: -6.64%

DOW’s Operating Profit Margin of 3.25% is around the midpoint for the Chemicals industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their Operating Margin against their respective Gold and Chemicals industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	AU	DOW
Return on Equity (TTM)	25.86%	1.63%
Return on Assets (TTM)	10.37%	0.50%
Return on Invested Capital (TTM)	12.23%	1.39%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	17.91%	0.68%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	29.67%	3.25%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	35.78%	9.38%

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.

DOW

1.54

Chemicals Industry

Max: 3.17
Q3: 2.36
Median: 1.51
Q1: 1.33
Min: 0.00

DOW’s Current Ratio of 1.54 aligns with the median group of the Chemicals industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their Current Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals 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.

DOW

1.07

Chemicals Industry

Max: 1.85
Q3: 1.44
Median: 1.06
Q1: 0.80
Min: 0.45

DOW’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 1.07 is typical for the Chemicals industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their D/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals 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.

DOW

1.67

Chemicals Industry

Max: 3.78
Q3: 3.48
Median: 0.92
Q1: -0.29
Min: -0.99

DOW’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 1.67 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Chemicals industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their Interest Coverage against their respective Gold and Chemicals industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	AU	DOW
Current Ratio (TTM)	2.34	1.54
Quick Ratio (TTM)	1.57	0.90
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM)	0.33	1.07
Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM)	0.17	0.31
Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM)	0.25	3.65
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	14.20	1.67

Growth

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

Revenue Growth

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

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth

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

Free Cash Flow Growth

AU vs. DOW: 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.

DOW

9.84%

Chemicals Industry

Max: 10.37%
Q3: 8.69%
Median: 2.57%
Q1: 0.99%
Min: 0.00%

With a Dividend Yield of 9.84%, DOW offers a more attractive income stream than most of its peers in the Chemicals industry, signaling a strong commitment to shareholder returns.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their Dividend Yield against their respective Gold and Chemicals 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.

DOW

678.28%

Chemicals Industry

Max: 678.28%
Q3: 47.18%
Median: 21.29%
Q1: 10.87%
Min: 0.00%

DOW’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 678.28% is above 100%. This means the company is paying out more in dividends than it earned, a practice that is often unsustainable and could indicate a risk to future dividend stability.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their Payout Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	AU	DOW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.27%	9.84%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	45.43%	678.28%

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.

DOW

69.37

Chemicals Industry

Max: 10.33
Q3: 10.33
Median: 8.69
Q1: 7.64
Min: 3.94

At 69.37, DOW’s P/E Ratio is exceptionally high, exceeding the typical maximum for the Chemicals industry. This suggests the stock may be significantly overvalued compared to its peers and implies high market expectations that could be difficult to meet.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their P/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals 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.

DOW

0.49

Chemicals Industry

Max: 0.63
Q3: 0.57
Median: 0.49
Q1: 0.34
Min: 0.01

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

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their Forward PEG Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals 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.

DOW

0.47

Chemicals Industry

Max: 1.07
Q3: 0.67
Median: 0.45
Q1: 0.30
Min: 0.09

DOW’s P/S Ratio of 0.47 aligns with the market consensus for the Chemicals industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

AU vs. DOW: A comparison of their P/S Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals 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.

DOW

1.20

Chemicals Industry

Max: 1.20
Q3: 1.15
Median: 1.00
Q1: 0.67
Min: 0.43

At 1.20, DOW’s P/B Ratio is at an extreme premium to the Chemicals 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. DOW: A comparison of their P/B Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	AU	DOW
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM)	16.93	69.37
Forward PEG Ratio (TTM)	-0.86	0.49
Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM)	3.03	0.47
Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM)	3.47	1.20
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM)	18.13	-40.64
EV-to-EBITDA (TTM)	7.94	8.11
EV-to-Sales (TTM)	3.13	0.86