DOW vs. PKX: Dow vs. POSCO Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Dow (DOW) and POSCO (PKX) 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 POSCO (PKX) both fall under the Materials industry group, but DOW is classified in Chemicals while PKX is classified in Metals & Mining.

Dow (DOW) trades as ordinary local shares, while POSCO (PKX) 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 POSCO (PKX)
Profile Item	DOW	PKX
Name	Dow Inc.	POSCO Holdings Inc. American Depositary Receipt
Country/Region	United States	South Korea
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Commodity Chemicals	Steel
Market Capitalization	22.73 billion USD	14.79 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 20, 2019	October 14, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOW

PKX

GSPC

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX), 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 POSCO (PKX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Dow (DOW) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	DOW	PKX
Total Return (1Y)	46.93%	-4.84%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-8.46%	-15.65%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-6.94%	-1.81%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOW

PKX

GSPC

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX), 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 POSCO (PKX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

POSCO (PKX) has an aggressive beta of 1.71, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Dow (DOW) is defensive at 0.44 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Dow (DOW) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	DOW	PKX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.81%	46.00%
Beta (5Y)	0.44	1.71
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.37%	-68.71%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.52M	216.95K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DOW and PKX 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 POSCO (PKX)
Metric	DOW	PKX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.02	-0.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.62	-0.30

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 POSCO (PKX) reports 2.21%, 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%

PKX

Materials industry group

2.21%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
PKX: 2.21%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX): 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 POSCO (PKX) reports 1.89%, 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%

PKX

Materials industry group

1.89%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
PKX: 1.89%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 6.78% and POSCO (PKX) at 4.26% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DOW

Materials industry group

6.78%

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

PKX

Materials industry group

4.26%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
PKX: 4.26%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dow (DOW) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	DOW	PKX
ROE (TTM)	-3.24%	2.21%
ROA (TTM)	1.87%	1.31%
Net Margin (TTM)	-2.11%	1.89%
Operating Margin (TTM)	6.78%	4.26%
Gross Margin (TTM)	11.01%	7.87%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Dow (DOW) at -6.97% and POSCO (PKX) at -6.09% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

POSCO (PKX) at -29.00% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Dow (DOW) at -335.67% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dow (DOW) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	DOW	PKX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-6.97%	-6.09%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.11%	-6.72%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-335.67%	-29.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-39.42%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Dow (DOW) at 1.76 and POSCO (PKX) at 1.98 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

PKX

Materials industry group

1.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
PKX: 1.98
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

POSCO (PKX) at 0.50 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

PKX

Materials industry group

0.50

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
PKX: 0.50
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Dow (DOW) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	DOW	PKX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.76	1.98
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.08	0.50
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.21	2.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 4.38% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; POSCO (PKX) at 18,518.52% 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%

PKX

Materials industry group

18,518.52%

PKX: 18,518.52%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX): 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 POSCO (PKX) reports 51.60%, 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%

PKX

Materials industry group

51.60%

Max: 83.62%
PKX: 51.60%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dow (DOW) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	DOW	PKX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.38%	18,518.52%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	700.00%	51.60%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: POSCO (PKX) trades at 15.57 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: --

PKX

Materials industry group

15.57

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
PKX: 15.57
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Dow (DOW) vs. POSCO (PKX): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; PKX is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 0.53 and POSCO (PKX) at 0.00 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

DOW

Materials industry group

0.53

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

PKX

Materials industry group

0.00

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
PKX: 0.00
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Dow (DOW) at 1.41 and POSCO (PKX) at 1.36 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.41

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

PKX

Materials industry group

1.36

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
PKX: 1.36
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dow (DOW) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	DOW	PKX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	15.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.53	0.00
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	1.36
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.95%	-23,410.34%