AXTA vs DOW vs MKSI Stock Comparison

Axalta Coating Systems, Dow and Mks Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
DOW Dow Inc.
$33.78 +20.6% 1M +31.3% 1Y
Market cap
$24.68B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$42.61B
Div. yield
0.04%
Commodity Chemicals Basic Materials
3 wins
MKSI Mks Inc
$212.16 -18.7% 1M +46.3% 1Y
Market cap
$14.81B
P/E
33.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.35B
Div. yield
0.00%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mks leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Mks 5, Axalta Coating Systems 4, Dow 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAXTADOWMKSILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $7.40B $24.68B $14.81B DOW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.2x -27.5x 33.7x AXTA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 12.7x 12.7x 15.7x DOW
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -0.9% +4.2% +16.3% MKSI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.8% -2.1% 10.1% MKSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.2% 2.0% 8.9% MKSI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 3.9x 3.2x AXTA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.04% 0.00% DOW
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +18.8% +31.3% +46.3% MKSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +1.8%/yr -9.8%/yr +7.8%/yr MKSI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.2% 41.8% 61.8% AXTA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 53/100 56/100 AXTA

Percentile Scorecard

AXTADOWMKSI

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAXTADOWMKSI
Valuation 67 #32 of 94 82 #18 of 94 77 #22 of 94
Growth 63 #34 of 91 60 #37 of 91 74 #25 of 92
Profitability 79 #19 of 86 51 #43 of 86 64 #33 of 90
Financial Health 39 #58 of 95 33 #64 of 95 1 #98 of 99
Shareholder Returns – 41 #42 of 70 63 #28 of 73
Overall 62 53 56
  • AXTA ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • DOW ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • MKSI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAXTADOWMKSISPY
1 month +5.0%+20.6%-18.7% -0.2%
3 months -2.6%+17.0%-25.6% +3.9%
6 months +20.9%-11.1%-20.8% +8.2%
Year to date +6.9%+44.5%+32.8% +12.9%
1 year +18.8%+31.3%+46.3% +12.3%
3 years +35.8%-29.8%+215.9% +87.4%
3 years, per year +10.8%-11.1%+46.8% +23.3%
5 years +9.6%-40.3%+45.6% +67.9%
5 years, per year +1.8%-9.8%+7.8% +10.9%
10 years +37.7%—+325.2% +261.1%
10 years, per year +3.2%—+15.6% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAXTADOWMKSISPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.2%41.8%61.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.6%38.0%66.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.09-0.332.82 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.580.750.75 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.4%-70.8%-67.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.6%-19.3%-52.3% -1.2%
52-week high $38.19$41.87$444.80 $779.14
52-week low $25.44$20.95$137.20 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAXTADOWMKSI
P/E now vs peer median 21.2xmedian 22.0x -27.3xmedian 22.0x 32.6xmedian 45.6x
P/S now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 1.4x 0.6xmedian 1.4x 3.3xmedian 7.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.9xmedian 12.4x 10.9xmedian 12.4x 16.9xmedian 29.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 15.1x 11.6xmedian 15.1x 31.5xmedian 40.6x
P/B now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 1.6x 1.4xmedian 1.6x 4.8xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 1.28median 1.66 0.71median 1.66 1.06median 2.28

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAXTADOWMKSI
Revenue $5.15B $42.61B $4.35B
Gross profit $1.75B $4.73B $2.04B
Operating income $679.00M $720.00M $681.00M
Net income $350.00M -$595.00M $439.00M
Free cash flow $495.00M $2.11B $455.00M
R&D $70.00M $741.00M $310.00M
EPS (diluted) $1.63 $-1.23 $6.05
Cash & equivalents $633.00M $4.14B $611.00M
Total debt $3.07B $17.54B $3.94B
Shares (diluted) 214.70M 727.40M 72.70M
Enterprise value $4.89B $8.64B $12.26B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAXTADOWMKSI
P/E 21.2x -27.3x 32.6x
P/FCF 14.9x 11.6x 31.5x
P/Operating cash flow 10.5x 5.3x 22.6x
P/S 1.4x 0.6x 3.3x
P/B 2.9x 1.4x 4.8x
P/Tangible book 5.0x 1.5x 14.7x
EV/EBITDA 9.9x 10.9x 16.9x
EV/EBIT 14.5x 52.6x 26.0x
EV/Revenue 1.9x 0.9x 4.1x
EV/FCF 19.8x 17.9x 38.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 14.0x 8.2x 27.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.28 0.71 1.06

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAXTADOWMKSI
Revenue growth (1Y) -0.9% 4.2% 16.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 0.6% -2.4% 4.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -2.6% 62.1% 15.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.2% -2.5% 6.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) -9.3% 685.4% 33.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.0% -30.9% 35.4%
Net income growth (1Y) -21.9% 40.6% 64.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.2% -34.3% 31.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -20.4% 21.6% 52.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.6% -38.7% 30.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 17.6% 190.9% -1.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 20.1% -6.5% 20.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 19.9% 279.8% -13.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.3% -13.8% 22.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAXTADOWMKSI
Gross margin 34.0% 11.1% 47.0%
EBITDA margin 19.2% 8.2% 24.0%
Operating margin 13.2% 1.7% 15.7%
Pretax margin 10.0% -1.0% 11.2%
Net margin 6.8% -2.1% 10.1%
FCF margin 9.6% 5.0% 10.5%
Operating cash flow margin 13.6% 10.8% 14.6%
Return on equity 13.9% -3.4% 15.2%
Return on assets 4.6% -1.0% 5.0%
Return on invested capital 8.2% 2.0% 8.9%
Return on capital employed 12.0% 1.4% 10.6%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.7x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x -7.7x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% – 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAXTADOWMKSI
Debt / assets 39.8% 28.8% 44.1%
Debt / equity 1.2x 1.0x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 3.9x 3.2x
Debt / FCF 6.2x 8.3x 8.7x
Liabilities / assets 66.6% 71.1% 66.6%
Equity / assets 33.4% 28.9% 33.4%
Interest coverage 4.2x 0.8x 3.7x
Current ratio 1.5x 1.8x 1.1x
Quick ratio 1.0x 1.0x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.4x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.39 1.63 2.38

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAXTADOWMKSI
Dividend yield – 4.1% 0.5%
Net buyback yield – – –
Shareholder yield – 4.1% 0.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – -169.6% 14.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 47.7% 13.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – -41.7% 6.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -20.1% 3.4%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAXTADOWMKSI
Forward P/E 12.7xFY2026 12.7xFY2026 15.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.71FY2026 $2.67FY2026 $13.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.8%FY2026 – +71.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +1.1% -33.3% +34.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.37BFY2026 $41.26BFY2026 $5.43BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +4.9%FY2026 +3.2%FY2026 +38.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -2.9% +9.6% +8.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAXTADOWMKSI
Held by institutions 100.0% 77.8% 100.0%
Institutions holding 358 1,208 775
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.0% +9.9% +2.8%
Institutions buying 162 548 455
Institutions selling 144 451 252
Buyers to sellers 1.13 1.22 1.81

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AXTADOWMKSI
AXTA 1.00 -0.15 0.20
DOW -0.15 1.00 -0.17
MKSI 0.20 -0.17 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AXTA, DOW and MKSI?

Dow (DOW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) $7.40B, Dow (DOW) $24.68B, Mks (MKSI) $14.81B.

Which stock is cheaper, AXTA, DOW and MKSI?

Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 21.2x, Dow (DOW) -27.5x, Mks (MKSI) 33.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Dow (DOW) is cheapest (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 12.7x, Dow (DOW) 12.7x, Mks (MKSI) 15.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Mks (MKSI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) -0.9%, Dow (DOW) +4.2%, Mks (MKSI) +16.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mks (MKSI) has the highest net margin (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 6.8%, Dow (DOW) -2.1%, Mks (MKSI) 10.1%). On return on invested capital, Mks (MKSI) leads (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 8.2%, Dow (DOW) 2.0%, Mks (MKSI) 8.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Mks (MKSI) returned the most: Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) +18.8%, Dow (DOW) +31.3%, Mks (MKSI) +46.3%. Over five years, Mks (MKSI) compounded fastest (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) +1.8%/yr, Dow (DOW) -9.8%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +7.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Dow (DOW) has the highest dividend yield: Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 0.00%, Dow (DOW) 0.04%, Mks (MKSI) 0.00%. Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) has been the steadiest (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 32.2%, Dow (DOW) 41.8%, Mks (MKSI) 61.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AXTA, DOW and MKSI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mks (MKSI) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.