Eastman Chemical vs RPM International
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Eastman Chemical and RPM International side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Eastman Chemical is the larger business, with $8.8B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $7.9B for RPM International.
- RPM International grew revenue faster (6.7%, against −6.7%).
- RPM International turned more of its sales into free cash flow (8.6% FCF margin, against 4.8%).
- RPM International earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (13.9%, against 6.5%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of RPM International’s earnings: a P/E of 18.2x against 17.2x for Eastman Chemical.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 10 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Eastman Chemical
EMN
1/10
Share count change
RPM International
RPM
9/10
Revenue growth5-year growthGross marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityPiotroski F-scoreNet debt / EBITDA
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | EMN FY25 | RPM FY26 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $7.6B | $12.5B |
| Revenue | $8.8B | $7.9B |
| Free cash flow | $424M | $675M |
| Net income | $474M | $661M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | −6.7% | 6.7% |
| 5-year growth | 0.7% | 5.2% |
| Share count change | −2.0% | −0.5% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 21.1% | 41.4% |
| Operating margin | — | — |
| Net margin | 5.4% | 8.4% |
| FCF margin | 4.8% | 8.6% |
| Return on capital | 6.5% | 13.9% |
| Return on equity | 8.1% | 21.4% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $4.2B | $2.2B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 3.3x | 1.9x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $381M | $349M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 17.2x | 18.2x |
| Piotroski F-score | 5 | 6 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.