Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. SHW scored 53.1, CF scored 70.3 — CF leads.
Compare another set
SHW
The Sherwin-Williams Company
Specialty Chemicals · Quality-Growth
53.1
$319.36 · $77.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
17.2
CF leads
CF
CF Industries Holdings, Inc.
Agricultural Inputs · Quality-Growth
70.3
$111.54 · $16.9B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestCF8.3x
Fastest growthCF+19.3%
Strongest balance sheetCF0.41
Highest qualityCF91 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueCF-68%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
SHW
stronger →← stronger
CF
78
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
91
50
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
38
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
77
CF is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
SHW
CF
$3.2bB
FCF
$1.9bC+
+5.8%C+
Rev
+19.3%B+
3.90D
D/E
0.41B
29.4xC+
P/E
8.3xA-
2.07C
PEG
0.49A
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
SHW
CF
66% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
68% below
~18%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~-18%/yr
-41%
1-yr DCF upside
+186%
-40%
5-yr DCF upside
+216%
-37%
10-yr DCF upside
+269%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
SHW
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
Cyclical growth
CF
Why this score
Buying back stock
Raising its dividend
Cyclical growth
The companies
SHWThe Sherwin-Williams Company
Specialty Chemicals · $319.36 · beta 1.08
Why now
Specialty Chemicals · market cap $77.5b. 15% off the 52-week high of $377.77. 23 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $385.87 (implying +21% upside).
Moat
ROE 70% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 120% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash. $77.5b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
D/E 3.90 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer.
CFCF Industries Holdings, Inc.
Agricultural Inputs · $111.54 · beta 0.53
Why now
Agricultural Inputs · market cap $16.9b. Down 21% from 52-week high of $141.96 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +19%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.49 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 20 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $127.69 (implying +14% upside).
Moat
Net margin 27% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 30% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where SHW and CF diverge
On the headline score the gap is 17.2 points in favor of CF. The widest single difference is Value, where CF leads by 38.5 points.
ValueSHW 38.1 · CF 76.6CF +38.5
QualitySHW 78.4 · CF 90.9CF +12.5
GrowthSHW 50.0 · CF 50.0level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is CF or SHW the better stock?
CF scores higher: CF 70.3, SHW 53.1 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do CF and SHW differ most?
The widest gap is value, where CF leads by 39 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. CF also leads quality, while growth is effectively level between them.
How are CF and SHW scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.