DOW vs. RIO: Dow vs. Rio Tinto Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Dow (DOW) trades as ordinary local shares, while Rio Tinto (RIO) 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 Rio Tinto (RIO)
Profile Item	DOW	RIO
Name	Dow Inc.	Rio Tinto plc ADR
Country/Region	United States	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Commodity Chemicals	Diversified Metals & Mining
Market Capitalization	22.73 billion USD	136.19 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 20, 2019	June 28, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOW

RIO

GSPC

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO), 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 Rio Tinto (RIO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Dow (DOW) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	DOW	RIO
Total Return (1Y)	46.93%	30.54%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-8.46%	16.90%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-6.94%	14.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOW

RIO

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Dow (DOW) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	DOW	RIO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.81%	30.72%
Beta (5Y)	0.44	0.63
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.37%	-35.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.52M	2.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DOW and RIO 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 Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	DOW	RIO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.02	0.85
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.62	1.26

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 Rio Tinto (RIO) reports 19.31%, 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%

RIO

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
RIO: 19.31%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) reports 19.59%, 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%

RIO

Materials industry group

19.59%

Max: 38.66%
RIO: 19.59%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 6.78% and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 28.05% 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%

RIO

Materials industry group

28.05%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
RIO: 28.05%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dow (DOW) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	DOW	RIO
ROE (TTM)	-3.24%	19.31%
ROA (TTM)	1.87%	8.11%
Net Margin (TTM)	-2.11%	19.59%
Operating Margin (TTM)	6.78%	28.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)	11.01%	29.75%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 7.42% 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.

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Rio Tinto (RIO) at -13.97% 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. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dow (DOW) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	DOW	RIO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-6.97%	7.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.11%	1.24%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-335.67%	-13.97%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-7.23%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Dow (DOW) at 1.76 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 1.42 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for RIO.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

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

RIO

Materials industry group

1.42

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
RIO: 1.42
Min: 0.16

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 0.32 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

RIO

Materials industry group

0.32

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
RIO: 0.32
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Dow (DOW) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	DOW	RIO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.76	1.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.08	0.32
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.21	0.58

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 4.38% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; Rio Tinto (RIO) at 5.59% 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%

RIO

Materials industry group

5.59%

RIO: 5.59%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) reports 54.46%, 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%

RIO

Materials industry group

54.46%

Max: 83.62%
RIO: 54.46%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dow (DOW) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	DOW	RIO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.38%	5.59%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	700.00%	54.46%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Rio Tinto (RIO) trades at 11.35 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: --

RIO

Materials industry group

11.35

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
RIO: 11.35
Min: 3.93

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; RIO 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.20 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

RIO

Materials industry group

2.20

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

Dow (DOW) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.08 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

RIO

Materials industry group

2.08

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dow (DOW) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	DOW	RIO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	11.35
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.53	2.20
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	2.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.95%	2.64%