Cabot: An Interesting Specialty Chemical Play

  • Cabot Corp. trades at just 10x earnings despite a solid track record, reasonable leverage, and high margins, making the valuation look attractive. Recent weakness in reinforcement materials and tariff uncertainty led to a guidance cut, but performance chemicals and semiconductor demand remain bright spots as the overall results come in flattish. Capital investments and buybacks have increased leverage modestly, but the balance sheet remains healthy and the dividend yield is near 2.5%.