CF vs SSL vs BCPC Stock Comparison

CF Industries Holdings, Sasol and Balchem Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
SSL Sasol Ltd
$18.02 +26.2% 1M +177.7% 1Y
Market cap
$11.02B
P/E
15.8x
Revenue (TTM)
—
Div. yield
–
Integrated Oil and Gas Energy
2 wins
BCPC Balchem Corp
$177.00 +5.2% 1M +12.9% 1Y
Market cap
$5.40B
P/E
31.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.11B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Chemicals Basic Materials
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

CF Industries Holdings leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (CF Industries Holdings 8, Sasol 2, Balchem 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCFSSLBCPCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $18.57B $11.02B $5.40B CF
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 8.8x 15.8x 31.6x CF
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 8.5x 5.5x 34.6x SSL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +20.0% — +9.4% CF
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 27.1% — 15.4% CF
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.7% — 12.1% CF
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.2x — 0.3x CF
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +38.8% +177.7% +12.9% SSL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.1%/yr +0.3%/yr +2.7%/yr CF
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 42.6% 53.9% 20.4% BCPC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 83/100 — 66/100 CF

Percentile Scorecard

CFSSLBCPC

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

AxisCFSSLBCPC
Valuation 82 #18 of 94 93 #8 of 99 31 #65 of 94
Growth 69 #29 of 92 – 86 #14 of 92
Profitability 99 #2 of 89 – 85 #14 of 89
Financial Health 91 #10 of 97 52 #50 of 102 89 #12 of 97
Shareholder Returns 75 #18 of 70 – 39 #43 of 70
Overall 83 – 66
  • CF ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • SSL ranked among 103 companies in Oil and Gas Upstream
  • BCPC ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCFSSLBCPCSPY
1 month +0.0%+26.2%+5.2% -1.0%
3 months -3.6%+52.2%+8.7% +2.9%
6 months -0.2%+40.0%+1.9% +6.4%
Year to date +56.1%+176.8%+15.4% +11.4%
1 year +38.8%+177.7%+12.9% +13.1%
3 years +50.2%+37.3%+45.5% +79.4%
3 years, per year +14.5%+11.2%+13.3% +21.5%
5 years +102.3%+1.8%+14.4% +67.7%
5 years, per year +15.1%+0.3%+2.7% +10.9%
10 years +365.6%-36.6%+133.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year +16.6%-4.5%+8.8% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureCFSSLBCPCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 42.6%53.9%20.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 42.8%55.6%18.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -1.06-0.760.15 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.913.290.63 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.1%-89.4%-34.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.3%0.0%-3.4% -2.5%
52-week high $139.27$18.02$183.26 $779.14
52-week low $76.09$6.00$147.36 $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.

MultipleCFSSLBCPC
P/E now vs peer median 8.8xmedian 21.5x 15.8xmedian 13.1x 32.8xmedian 21.5x
P/S now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 1.4x 0.7xmedian 2.0x 5.1xmedian 1.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 4.7xmedian 12.4x —median 5.7x 20.5xmedian 12.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 9.6xmedian 15.5x 3.7xmedian 11.1x 31.6xmedian 15.5x
P/B now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 1.6x 1.1xmedian 1.5x 4.2xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median 2.39median 1.70 —median 2.24 1.75median 1.70

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 monthsCFSSLBCPC
Revenue $7.74B – $1.11B
Gross profit $3.29B – $404.38M
Operating income $3.18B – $229.57M
Net income $2.50B – $170.85M
Free cash flow $1.91B – $178.00M
R&D – – $20.81M
EPS (diluted) $13.64 – $5.33
Cash & equivalents $2.48B $2.64B $66.26M
Total debt $3.22B $6.66B $696.62M
Shares (diluted) 153.90M 642.00M 32.03M
Enterprise value $10.23B -$37.93M $5.12B

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
MetricCFSSLBCPC
P/E 8.8x 15.8x 32.8x
P/FCF 9.6x 3.7x 31.6x
P/Operating cash flow 6.1x – 25.2x
P/S 2.4x 0.7x 5.1x
P/B 2.0x 1.1x 4.2x
P/Tangible book 2.2x 1.1x 4.7x
EV/EBITDA 4.7x – 20.5x
EV/EBIT 6.0x – 24.9x
EV/Revenue 2.5x – 5.2x
EV/FCF 9.9x – 32.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.4x – 25.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.39 – 1.75

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCFSSLBCPC
Revenue growth (1Y) 20.0% – 9.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -3.9% – 6.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 43.3% – 11.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -5.0% – 11.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 66.7% – 12.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -3.3% – 14.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 58.6% – 14.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -3.7% – 18.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 70.9% – 16.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 3.7% – 18.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 19.1% – 11.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.7% – 12.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 6.9% – 10.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -11.4% – 14.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCFSSLBCPC
Gross margin 42.5% – 36.5%
EBITDA margin 52.6% – 25.1%
Operating margin 41.1% – 20.7%
Pretax margin 40.1% – 19.9%
Net margin 27.1% – 15.4%
FCF margin 24.7% – 16.1%
Operating cash flow margin 38.5% – 20.2%
Return on equity 29.1% – 13.0%
Return on assets 16.8% – 10.1%
Return on invested capital 21.7% – 12.1%
Return on capital employed 22.6% – 15.0%
Asset turnover 0.5x – 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x – 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% – 1.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCFSSLBCPC
Debt / assets 21.3% 30.1% 8.6%
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.6x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.2x – 0.3x
Debt / FCF 1.7x – 0.8x
Liabilities / assets 40.9% 53.3% 22.1%
Equity / assets 59.1% 46.7% 77.9%
Interest coverage 18.6x – –
Current ratio 4.9x 1.8x 2.5x
Quick ratio 4.1x 1.2x 1.3x
Cash ratio 3.2x 0.6x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 3.67 – 11.26

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCFSSLBCPC
Dividend yield 1.7% – 0.5%
Net buyback yield 5.2% – 2.0%
Shareholder yield 7.0% 0.0% 2.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 12.6% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 16.4% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) -8.5% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -0.3% – –

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.

ConsensusCFSSLBCPC
Forward P/E 8.5xFY2026 5.5xFY2027 34.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $14.19FY2026 $3.26FY2027 $5.11FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +48.3%FY2026 +37.0%FY2027 +7.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -23.3% -24.5% +7.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.51BFY2026 $16.57BFY2027 $1.07BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +20.2%FY2026 -2.0%FY2027 +2.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -10.3% +7.3% +9.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCFSSLBCPC
Held by institutions 100.0% 4.7% 90.5%
Institutions holding 968 174 417
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.8% -7.6% +1.5%
Institutions buying 547 111 193
Institutions selling 309 45 162
Buyers to sellers 1.77 2.47 1.19

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.

CFSSLBCPC
CF 1.00 0.39 -0.04
SSL 0.39 1.00 -0.10
BCPC -0.04 -0.10 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CF, SSL and BCPC?

CF Industries Holdings (CF) is the largest by market capitalisation: CF Industries Holdings (CF) $18.57B, Sasol (SSL) $11.02B, Balchem (BCPC) $5.40B.

Which stock is cheaper, CF, SSL and BCPC?

CF Industries Holdings (CF) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (CF Industries Holdings (CF) 8.8x, Sasol (SSL) 15.8x, Balchem (BCPC) 31.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Sasol (SSL) is cheapest (CF Industries Holdings (CF) 8.5x, Sasol (SSL) 5.5x, Balchem (BCPC) 34.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

CF Industries Holdings (CF) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: CF Industries Holdings (CF) +20.0%, Balchem (BCPC) +9.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

CF Industries Holdings (CF) has the highest net margin (CF Industries Holdings (CF) 27.1%, Balchem (BCPC) 15.4%). On return on invested capital, CF Industries Holdings (CF) leads (CF Industries Holdings (CF) 21.7%, Balchem (BCPC) 12.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Sasol (SSL) returned the most: CF Industries Holdings (CF) +38.8%, Sasol (SSL) +177.7%, Balchem (BCPC) +12.9%. Over five years, CF Industries Holdings (CF) compounded fastest (CF Industries Holdings (CF) +15.1%/yr, Sasol (SSL) +0.3%/yr, Balchem (BCPC) +2.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: CF Industries Holdings (CF) 0.02%, Sasol (SSL) 0.00%, Balchem (BCPC) 0.00%. Sasol (SSL) and Balchem (BCPC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Balchem (BCPC) has been the steadiest (CF Industries Holdings (CF) 42.6%, Sasol (SSL) 53.9%, Balchem (BCPC) 20.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CF, SSL and BCPC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, CF Industries Holdings (CF) leads on 8. 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.