Industries › Chemicals, metals, paper and packaging
Chemical and materials stocks buying back their own shares (October 2026)
23 chemical and materials stocks on Buyback Radar have each retired at least a tenth of their own shares since their peak. CF Industries leads, with 57.5% of its shares gone since 2010. Every count comes from the cover pages of the companies' own 10-K and 10-Q filings with the SEC, split adjusted, so it is net of the new shares handed to employees. The list is rebuilt every Monday.
| # | Company | Retired since peak | Peak | 5 years | 12 months | Market value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  CF IndustriesCF | −57.5% | 2010 | −29.6% | −6.6% | $18.3B |
| 2 |  NewmarketNEU | −46.8% | 2006 | −15.8% | −2.1% | $8.1B |
| 3 |  LyondellBasellLYB | −43.8% | 2012 | −3.4% | +0.4% | $20.7B |
| 4 |  AshlandASH | −41.9% | 2010 | −24.6% | +0.2% | $3.3B |
| 5 |  Steel DynamicsSTLD | −41.5% | 2015 | −28.3% | −2.6% | $34.2B |
| 6 |  PPG IndustriesPPG | −36.1% | 1999 | −6.3% | −1.5% | $23.9B |
| 7 |  NucorNUE | −34.3% | 1999 | −22.8% | −1.2% | $58.1B |
| 8 |  RelianceRS | −34.2% | 2013 | −19.6% | −2.9% | $21.0B |
| 9 |  Avery DennisonAVY | −33.4% | 1999 | −8.6% | −2.8% | $13.3B |
| 10 |  OlinOLN | −31.8% | 2017 | −29.0% | −0.6% | $1.8B |
| 11 |  CelaneseCE | −31.3% | 2012 | −1.2% | +0.2% | — |
| 12 |  Clearwater PaperCLW | −29.8% | 2012 | −3.4% | +0.1% | $311.3M |
| 13 |  MosaicMOS | −28.6% | 2010 | −16.3% | +0.2% | $6.0B |
| 14 |  HuntsmanHUN | −28.4% | 2014 | −21.0% | +0.9% | $1.5B |
| 15 |  Minerals TechnologiesMTX | −24.8% | 1999 | −7.3% | −0.8% | $2.0B |
| 16 |  HexcelHXL | −24.6% | 2012 | −9.8% | −4.9% | $6.8B |
| 17 |  Graphic Packaging HoldingGPK | −24.0% | 2011 | −3.6% | −0.1% | $2.5B |
| 18 |  Kaiser AluminumKALU | −20.6% | 2007 | +3.1% | +0.9% | — |
| 19 |  IngevityNGVT | −18.4% | 2016 | −13.0% | −5.7% | $2.4B |
| 20 |  ChemoursCC | −17.8% | 2016 | −8.9% | +0.5% | — |
| 21 |  Element SolutionsESI | −15.8% | 2017 | −2.0% | +0.2% | $8.5B |
| 22 |  Axalta Coating SystemsAXTA | −12.7% | 2017 | −7.0% | −1.2% | $7.2B |
| 23 |  AdvanSixASIX | −11.4% | 2016 | −4.0% | +0.6% | $442.0M |
Which chemical and materials stocks buy back the most shares?
On Buyback Radar in October 2026, CF Industries (CF) has retired 57.5% of its shares since 2010, followed by Newmarket (46.8%) and LyondellBasell (43.8%).
Which chemical and materials stocks are buying back the fastest right now?
CF Industries (CF), with 6.6% fewer shares than twelve months ago. 13 of the 23 have a lower share count than a year ago.
Why count shares instead of buyback dollars?
A company can spend billions on buybacks and still end the year with more shares, because it hands new stock to employees. The share count on the cover of the filing shows what actually disappeared. Every share retired makes the remaining shares a bigger slice of the same business.
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All 467 companies: the full Radar · Best buyback stocks · What is a cannibal stock
Updated 2026-10-24 from SEC filings. Grouped by the industry code each company files with the SEC. Not investment advice. How we count.