CF vs. SQM: CF Industries vs. Sociedad Química y Minera Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) 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

CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) both belong to the Chemicals industry, though CF is classified under Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals while SQM falls under Specialty Chemicals.

CF Industries (CF) trades as ordinary local shares, while Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Profile Item	CF	SQM
Name	CF Industries Holdings, Inc.	Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. ADR
Country/Region	United States	Chile
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals	Specialty Chemicals
Market Capitalization	17.46 billion USD	16.43 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 11, 2005	September 21, 1993
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

SQM

GSPC

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM), 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Metric	CF	SQM
Total Return (1Y)	49.36%	19.41%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.00%	7.76%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.09%	1.46%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

SQM

GSPC

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM), 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

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Metric	CF	SQM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.66%	47.10%
Beta (5Y)	0.56	1.10
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-48.36%	-69.69%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.49M	953.31K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CF and SQM 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 CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Metric	CF	SQM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.03	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.59	0.49

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 30.86% and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 21.82% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

CF

Materials industry group

30.86%

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

SQM

Materials industry group

21.82%

Max: 52.88%
SQM: 21.82%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both CF Industries (CF) at 27.48% and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 20.62% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CF

Materials industry group

27.48%

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

SQM

Materials industry group

20.62%

Max: 38.66%
SQM: 20.62%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 34.36% and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 48.82% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

CF

Materials industry group

34.36%

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

SQM

Materials industry group

48.82%

Max: 66.70%
SQM: 48.82%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Metric	CF	SQM
ROE (TTM)	30.86%	21.82%
ROA (TTM)	12.61%	11.55%
Net Margin (TTM)	27.48%	20.62%
Operating Margin (TTM)	34.36%	48.82%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.52%	42.17%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both CF Industries (CF) at 19.34% and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 1.05% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both CF Industries (CF) at 33.09% and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at -14.16% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Metric	CF	SQM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	19.34%	1.05%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-14.12%	-24.68%
EPS Growth (YoY)	33.09%	-14.16%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-18.19%	-46.80%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 2.98 and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 2.61 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

CF

Materials industry group

2.98

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

SQM

Materials industry group

2.61

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
SQM: 2.61
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 0.41 and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 0.61 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CF

Materials industry group

0.41

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

SQM

Materials industry group

0.61

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
SQM: 0.61
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Metric	CF	SQM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.98	2.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.41	0.61
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.21	0.32

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 2.55% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while CF Industries (CF) at 1.77% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, SQM the richer one.

CF

Materials industry group

1.77%

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

SQM

Materials industry group

2.55%

Max: 4.52%
SQM: 2.55%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 14.81% and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 21.19% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

CF

Materials industry group

14.81%

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

SQM

Materials industry group

21.19%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
SQM: 21.19%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Metric	CF	SQM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.77%	2.55%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	14.81%	21.19%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 8.42 and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 11.84 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

CF

Materials industry group

8.42

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

SQM

Materials industry group

11.84

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
SQM: 11.84
Min: 3.93

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both CF Industries (CF) at 2.20 and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 2.44 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CF

Materials industry group

2.20

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

SQM

Materials industry group

2.44

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
SQM: 2.44
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both CF Industries (CF) at 3.10 and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) at 2.60 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

CF

Materials industry group

3.10

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

SQM

Materials industry group

2.60

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
SQM: 2.60
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

CF Industries (CF) vs. Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM)
Metric	CF	SQM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	8.42	11.84
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.20	2.44
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.10	2.60
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	9.10%	15.94%