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DOW vs. VALE: Dow vs. Vale Stock Comparison

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

Dow (DOW) trades as ordinary local shares, while Vale (VALE) 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 Vale (VALE)
Profile ItemDOWVALE
NameDow Inc.Vale S.A. American Depositary Shares
Country/RegionUnited StatesBrazil
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryChemicalsMetals & Mining
GICS Sub-IndustryCommodity ChemicalsSteel
Market Capitalization22.73 billion USD49.32 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 20, 2019March 21, 2002
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOW
VALE
GSPC
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE), 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 Vale (VALE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Dow (DOW) and Vale (VALE)
MetricDOWVALE
Total Return (1Y)46.93%6.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-8.46%3.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-6.94%8.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Dow (DOW) and Vale (VALE)
MetricDOWVALE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)41.81%33.88%
Beta (5Y)0.440.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)-64.37%-49.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)8.52M32.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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DOW and VALE 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 Vale (VALE)
MetricDOWVALE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.020.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.620.08

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 Vale (VALE) reports 0.26%, 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

0.26%

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
VALE
0.26%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): 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 Vale (VALE) reports 1.01%, 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

1.01%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
VALE
1.01%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 6.78% and Vale (VALE) at 19.31% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
VALE
19.31%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dow (DOW) and Vale (VALE)
MetricDOWVALE
ROE (TTM)-3.24%0.26%
ROA (TTM)1.87%6.97%
Net Margin (TTM)-2.11%1.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)6.78%19.31%
Gross Margin (TTM)11.01%32.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Vale (VALE) at 0.91% 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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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Vale (VALE) at -61.81% 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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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dow (DOW) and Vale (VALE)
MetricDOWVALE
Revenue Growth (YoY)-6.97%0.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-11.11%-4.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)-335.67%-61.81%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---48.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Dow (DOW) at 1.76 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Vale (VALE) at 1.10 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for VALE.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.10

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
VALE
1.10
Min
0.16
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Vale (VALE) at 0.55 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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.55

Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
VALE
0.55
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Dow (DOW) and Vale (VALE)
MetricDOWVALE
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.761.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.080.55
Net Debt / EBITDA3.211.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 4.38% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; Vale (VALE) at 49.02% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

49.02%

VALE
49.02%
Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 700.00% and Vale (VALE) at 526.96% report payout ratio above 100%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings on both sides.

DOW

Materials industry group

700.00%

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

VALE

Materials industry group

526.96%

VALE
526.96%
Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dow (DOW) and Vale (VALE)
MetricDOWVALE
Dividend Yield (TTM)4.38%49.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)700.00%526.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Vale (VALE) trades at 72.44 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
--

VALE

Materials industry group

72.44

VALE
72.44
Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; VALE is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 0.53 and Vale (VALE) at 0.23 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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.23

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
VALE
0.23
Min
0.00
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): 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 Vale (VALE) at 1.27 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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.27

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
VALE
1.27
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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Dow (DOW) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dow (DOW) and Vale (VALE)
MetricDOWVALE
P/E Ratio (TTM)--72.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.530.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.411.27
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.95%17.51%