DOW vs. GFI: Dow vs. Gold Fields Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI) 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

Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI) both fall under the Materials industry group, but DOW is classified in Chemicals while GFI is classified in Metals & Mining.

Dow (DOW) trades as ordinary local shares, while Gold Fields (GFI) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Profile Item	DOW	GFI
Name	Dow Inc.	Gold Fields Ltd. Sponsored ADR
Country/Region	United States	South Africa
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Commodity Chemicals	Gold
Market Capitalization	22.73 billion USD	34.65 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 20, 2019	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOW

GFI

GSPC

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI), 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 Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	DOW	GFI
Total Return (1Y)	46.93%	9.54%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-8.46%	51.07%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-6.94%	38.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOW

GFI

GSPC

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI), 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 Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	DOW	GFI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.81%	60.41%
Beta (5Y)	0.44	0.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.37%	-56.22%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.52M	3.78M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DOW and GFI 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 Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	DOW	GFI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.02	0.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.62	0.12

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 Gold Fields (GFI) reports 58.68%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-3.24%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
DOW: -3.24%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

GFI

Materials industry group

58.68%

GFI: 58.68%
Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): 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 Gold Fields (GFI) reports 38.66%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-2.11%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
DOW: -2.11%
Min: -20.40%

GFI

Materials industry group

38.66%

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

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 55.00% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Dow (DOW) at 6.78%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

DOW

Materials industry group

6.78%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
DOW: 6.78%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

GFI

Materials industry group

55.00%

Max: 66.70%
GFI: 55.00%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	DOW	GFI
ROE (TTM)	-3.24%	58.68%
ROA (TTM)	1.87%	28.52%
Net Margin (TTM)	-2.11%	38.66%
Operating Margin (TTM)	6.78%	55.00%
Gross Margin (TTM)	11.01%	57.77%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Gold Fields (GFI) at 68.24% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Dow (DOW) at -6.97% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Gold Fields (GFI) at 185.51% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Dow (DOW) at -335.67% falls below its industry range — a large difference in per-share earnings trajectories.

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	DOW	GFI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-6.97%	68.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.11%	26.86%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-335.67%	185.51%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	71.58%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Dow (DOW) at 1.76 and Gold Fields (GFI) at 1.87 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
DOW: 1.76
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

GFI

Materials industry group

1.87

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
GFI: 1.87
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 0.29 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Dow (DOW) at 1.08 uses more debt funding than most peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.08

Max: 1.98
DOW: 1.08
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

GFI

Materials industry group

0.29

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
GFI: 0.29
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	DOW	GFI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.76	1.87
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.08	0.29
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.21	0.06

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 4.38% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; Gold Fields (GFI) at 5.65% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

DOW

Materials industry group

4.38%

Max: 4.52%
DOW: 4.38%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GFI

Materials industry group

5.65%

GFI: 5.65%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): 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 Gold Fields (GFI) reports 31.81%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

700.00%

DOW: 700.00%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GFI

Materials industry group

31.81%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
GFI: 31.81%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	DOW	GFI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.38%	5.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	700.00%	31.81%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Gold Fields (GFI) trades at 8.03 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Dow (DOW) has no P/E ratio this period.

DOW

Materials industry group

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93
DOW: --

GFI

Materials industry group

8.03

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
GFI: 8.03
Min: 3.93

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; GFI 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 Gold Fields (GFI) at 3.05 prices around its industry’s middle — DOW costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

DOW

Materials industry group

0.53

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
DOW: 0.53
Min: 0.00

GFI

Materials industry group

3.05

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
GFI: 3.05
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Dow (DOW) at 1.41 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Gold Fields (GFI) at 7.78 prices above its benchmark range — GFI looks rich relative to book.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.41

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
DOW: 1.41
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

GFI

Materials industry group

7.78

GFI: 7.78
Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Dow (DOW) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dow (DOW) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	DOW	GFI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	8.03
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.53	3.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	7.78
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.95%	12.05%