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U.K. (FTSE) Specialty Chemicals Industry Analysis

UpdatedApr 05, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies12
  • 7D1.9%
  • 3M-7.5%
  • 1Y14.7%
  • YTDn/a

In the last week, the Specialty Chemicals industry is up 1.9%, with Johnson Matthey leading the way, up 2.1%. Meanwhile, Directa Plus actually underperformed within the industry, shrinking 35% in the last week. This means that the industry has gained 15% over the past year. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 28% per annum.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Specialty Chemicals Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Sun, 05 Apr 2026UK£9.0bUK£16.2b-UK£35,542,199.5920.8x-252.1x0.6x
Tue, 03 Mar 2026UK£9.6bUK£16.3b-UK£113,501,135.6024.6x-84.8x0.6x
Thu, 29 Jan 2026UK£9.8bUK£16.3b-UK£38,815,527.1323.9x-253x0.6x
Sat, 27 Dec 2025UK£9.4bUK£16.3b-UK£31,291,139.7417x-301.2x0.6x
Mon, 24 Nov 2025UK£8.9bUK£16.3b-UK£31,270,000.2114.3x-285.1x0.5x
Wed, 22 Oct 2025UK£9.5bUK£16.3bUK£433.4m12.6x22x0.6x
Fri, 19 Sep 2025UK£9.0bUK£16.3bUK£432.9m21.4x20.7x0.6x
Sun, 17 Aug 2025UK£8.6bUK£16.3bUK£433.3m20.4x19.8x0.5x
Tue, 15 Jul 2025UK£9.4bUK£16.3bUK£452.7m20.9x20.7x0.6x
Thu, 12 Jun 2025UK£9.4bUK£16.3bUK£451.1m22.5x20.9x0.6x
Sat, 10 May 2025UK£8.6bUK£16.6bUK£597.2m15.9x14.4x0.5x
Mon, 07 Apr 2025UK£7.8bUK£16.6bUK£594.7m14.7x13.2x0.5x
Wed, 05 Mar 2025UK£9.2bUK£16.6bUK£579.9m16.9x15.8x0.6x
Fri, 31 Jan 2025UK£9.5bUK£16.7bUK£583.8m17.9x16.3x0.6x
Sun, 29 Dec 2024UK£9.4bUK£16.6bUK£584.3m20.8x16.1x0.6x
Tue, 26 Nov 2024UK£9.8bUK£17.7bUK£170.7m23.9x57.5x0.6x
Thu, 24 Oct 2024UK£10.3bUK£17.7bUK£160.9m24.9x63.7x0.6x
Sat, 21 Sep 2024UK£10.6bUK£17.7bUK£162.4m24x65.3x0.6x
Mon, 19 Aug 2024UK£10.9bUK£17.7bUK£164.8m26.2x66.1x0.6x
Wed, 17 Jul 2024UK£11.3bUK£17.7bUK£199.0m29.9x56.9x0.6x
Fri, 14 Jun 2024UK£11.8bUK£17.7bUK£198.8m29.7x59.1x0.7x
Sun, 12 May 2024UK£13.1bUK£19.1bUK£295.1m22.7x44.3x0.7x
Tue, 09 Apr 2024UK£12.5bUK£19.1bUK£295.5m20.4x42.1x0.7x
Thu, 07 Mar 2024UK£12.1bUK£19.3bUK£164.9m18.2x73.1x0.6x
Sat, 03 Feb 2024UK£12.3bUK£19.5bUK£186.3m19.1x66.1x0.6x
Mon, 01 Jan 2024UK£12.9bUK£19.5bUK£186.7m21.4x69.3x0.7x
Wed, 29 Nov 2023UK£11.9bUK£19.5bUK£199.6m18.1x59.7x0.6x
Fri, 27 Oct 2023UK£11.1bUK£20.4bUK£312.5m20.7x35.4x0.5x
Sun, 24 Sep 2023UK£12.4bUK£20.3bUK£312.3m22.6x39.6x0.6x
Tue, 22 Aug 2023UK£12.7bUK£20.5bUK£445.1m24.6x28.6x0.6x
Thu, 20 Jul 2023UK£14.1bUK£20.7bUK£896.9m15.6x15.8x0.7x
Sat, 17 Jun 2023UK£13.6bUK£20.7bUK£901.6m11.8x15x0.7x
Mon, 15 May 2023UK£16.1bUK£20.7bUK£928.9m14.5x17.4x0.8x
Wed, 12 Apr 2023UK£16.0bUK£20.7bUK£936.3m14.2x17x0.8x
Price to Earnings Ratio

17x


Total Market Cap: UK£16.0bTotal Earnings: UK£936.3mTotal Revenue: UK£20.7bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Specialty Chemicals Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 0.3x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are relatively neutral on the British Specialty Chemicals industry at the moment, indicating that they anticipate long term growth rates to remain steady.
  • The industry is trading close to its 3-year average PS ratio of 0.60x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • Total earnings for the Specialty Chemicals industry have declined over the last three years, with the industry now making a loss overall.
  • Revenues have also declined 7.7% per year, which is driving profits down.

Industry Comparison

How does U.K. Specialty Chemicals compare with similar industries?

GB Market4.54%
Materials6.81%
Chemicals2.02%
Specialty Chemicals1.87%
Industrial Gases12.10%
Fertilizers and Agricultural Chemicals4.18%
Commodity Chemicals2.93%
Industry PEThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.
Forecasted GrowthThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
JMAT Johnson MattheyUK£19.222.1%
+UK£67.1m		57.4%PS0.3x
CRDA Croda InternationalUK£28.771.5%
+UK£58.5m		4.5%PE64.7x
ELM ElementisUK£1.523.1%
+UK£27.6m		24.7%PE18.4x
VCT VictrexUK£5.751.6%
+UK£8.0m		-27.0%PE18x
SYNT SynthomerUK£0.397.5%
+UK£4.4m		-58.6%PS0.03x

Latest News

VCT
UK£5.75
Victrex
7D
1.6%
1Y
-27.0%

VCT: Refined Cash Flow Assumptions Will Support Future Re Rating Potential

Analysts have trimmed their price target on Victrex by £1.00, citing updated assumptions around discount rates, revenue growth, and profit margins as key drivers of the revision. Analyst Commentary JPMorgan has reduced its price target on Victrex by £1.00, reflecting refreshed assumptions around discount rates, revenue growth, and margins.
CRDA
UK£28.77
Croda International
7D
1.5%
1Y
4.5%

CRDA: Recent Upgrades And Higher 3,280 Price Level Will Support Re Rating

Analysts have nudged their fair value estimate for Croda International slightly lower to about £47.96 from £48.16, reflecting modest adjustments to discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E assumptions, alongside mixed but generally constructive recent research, including both target cuts and upgrades. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Croda International has leaned constructive, with several bullish analysts updating their views through rating changes and revised price targets.
JMAT
UK£19.22
Johnson Matthey
7D
2.1%
1Y
57.4%

JMAT: Future Returns Will Reflect Cautious Ratings And Large Capital Return Plan

Analysts have trimmed their Johnson Matthey price targets, with recent adjustments such as Berenberg moving to £22.50 from £25.50 and Deutsche Bank to £21.20 from £24.00. These changes reflect reassessments of growth and margin assumptions, alongside a shift to Neutral ratings at some firms around the £20.00 level.
ELM
UK£1.52
Elementis
7D
3.1%
1Y
24.7%

We Think Elementis' (LON:ELM) Solid Earnings Are Understated

Apr 01
We Think Elementis' (LON:ELM) Solid Earnings Are Understated
TET
UK£1.99
Treatt
7D
1.9%
1Y
-36.8%
SYNT
UK£0.39
Synthomer
7D
7.5%
1Y
-58.6%

SYNT: Cost Actions And Bio-Based Partnership Will Support Future Margin Resilience

Analysts have adjusted their Synthomer price targets slightly to reflect updated views on revenue contraction, slightly higher profit margins, and a modestly lower future P/E, resulting in a revised fair value estimate of £0.59 per share. What's in the News Synthomer entered a partnership with Godavari Biorefineries Limited to develop bio-based alternatives to existing fossil-based monomers.
HDD
UK£0.32
Hardide
7D
-6.0%
1Y
457.5%
DCTA
UK£0.055
Directa Plus
7D
-35.3%
1Y
-12.0%
IOF
UK£0.26
Iofina
7D
6.0%
1Y
19.5%
CAR
UK£0.46
Carclo
7D
7.8%
1Y
89.5%

Market Cool On Carclo plc's (LON:CAR) Revenues Pushing Shares 25% Lower

Dec 18
Market Cool On Carclo plc's (LON:CAR) Revenues Pushing Shares 25% Lower