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AVY vs. DOW: Avery Dennison vs. Dow Stock Comparison

How do Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW) 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

Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW) both fall under the Materials industry group, but AVY is classified in Containers & Packaging while DOW is classified in Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW)
Profile ItemAVYDOW
NameAvery Dennison CorporationDow Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryContainers & PackagingChemicals
GICS Sub-IndustryPaper & Plastic Packaging Products & MaterialsCommodity Chemicals
Market Capitalization14.10 billion USD22.73 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973March 20, 2019
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AVY
DOW
GSPC
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW), 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 Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAVYDOW
Total Return (1Y)10.80%46.93%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)3.97%-8.46%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-1.88%-6.94%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AVY
DOW
GSPC
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW), 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 Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAVYDOW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.05%41.81%
Beta (5Y)0.750.44
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.73%-64.37%
Avg. Volume (3M)836.04K8.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AVY and DOW 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 Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAVYDOW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.271.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.431.62

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative ROE of -3.24%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Avery Dennison (AVY) reports 30.80%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AVY

Materials industry group

30.80%

Max
52.88%
AVY
30.80%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%

DOW

Materials industry group

-3.24%

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
DOW
-3.24%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative net margin of -2.11%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Avery Dennison (AVY) reports 7.56%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AVY

Materials industry group

7.56%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
AVY
7.56%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%

DOW

Materials industry group

-2.11%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
DOW
-2.11%
Min
-20.40%
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 12.10% and Dow (DOW) at 6.78% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

AVY

Materials industry group

12.10%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
Median
12.56%
AVY
12.10%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%

DOW

Materials industry group

6.78%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
Median
12.56%
DOW
6.78%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAVYDOW
ROE (TTM)30.80%-3.24%
ROA (TTM)8.28%1.87%
Net Margin (TTM)7.56%-2.11%
Operating Margin (TTM)12.10%6.78%
Gross Margin (TTM)28.83%11.01%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Avery Dennison (AVY) at 1.14% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Dow (DOW) at -6.97% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Avery Dennison (AVY) at 0.69% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Dow (DOW) at -335.67% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAVYDOW
Revenue Growth (YoY)1.14%-6.97%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-0.68%-11.11%
EPS Growth (YoY)0.69%-335.67%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.54%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Dow (DOW) at 1.76 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Avery Dennison (AVY) at 1.16 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for AVY.

AVY

Materials industry group

1.16

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
AVY
1.16
Min
0.16

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
DOW
1.76
Q1
1.45
Min
0.16
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 1.52 and Dow (DOW) at 1.08 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

AVY

Materials industry group

1.52

Max
1.98
AVY
1.52
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00

DOW

Materials industry group

1.08

Max
1.98
DOW
1.08
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAVYDOW
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.161.76
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.521.08
Net Debt / EBITDA2.203.21

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Avery Dennison (AVY) at 2.05% and Dow (DOW) at 4.38% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

AVY

Materials industry group

2.05%

Max
4.52%
AVY
2.05%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

DOW

Materials industry group

4.38%

Max
4.52%
DOW
4.38%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports payout ratio above 100% at 700.00%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Avery Dennison (AVY) reports 41.99%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AVY

Materials industry group

41.99%

Max
83.62%
AVY
41.99%
Q3
41.37%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

DOW

Materials industry group

700.00%

DOW
700.00%
Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAVYDOW
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.05%4.38%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)41.99%700.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Avery Dennison (AVY) trades at 20.21 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Dow (DOW) has no P/E ratio this period.

AVY

Materials industry group

20.21

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
AVY
20.21
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93

DOW

Materials industry group

--

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
DOW
--
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; AVY is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 0.53 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Avery Dennison (AVY) at 1.51 prices around its industry’s middle — DOW costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

AVY

Materials industry group

1.51

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
AVY
1.51
Q1
0.73
Min
0.00

DOW

Materials industry group

0.53

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
DOW
0.53
Min
0.00
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Dow (DOW) at 1.41 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Avery Dennison (AVY) at 5.91 carries an above-peer premium to book — AVY is pricier on assets.

AVY

Materials industry group

5.91

Max
6.59
AVY
5.91
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17

DOW

Materials industry group

1.41

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
DOW
1.41
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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Avery Dennison (AVY) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Avery Dennison (AVY) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAVYDOW
P/E Ratio (TTM)20.21--
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.510.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.911.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)6.90%3.95%