Cabot

CBT · NYSE · Materials · Financials, fiscal 2016 to 2025

CBT · Last close · October 26, 2026

$72.88

Cabot's revenue fell 7.0% to $3.7 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 16.7%, up from 15.4% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $391 million, down 13.3%. It paid out $264 million in dividends and buybacks, 68% of free cash flow. The diluted share count fell 2.7%.

CABOT CORP Latest fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 10-K filed November 24, 2025 · 0001193125-25-292412 Updated October 9, 2026

Revenue

$3.7B

7.0%

Operating margin

16.7%

1.4 pts

Net income

$331M

12.9%

Free cash flow

$391M

13.3%

Return on capital

15.9%

3.6 pts

Market cap

$3.9B

Oct 26 close

P/E

12.7x

On $5.72 EPS, 4 qtrs

Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.

Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.

Revenue and margins

Revenue

US$ billions, fiscal years

Margins

Percent of revenue

GrossOperatingNetFree cash flow

Net income and earnings per share

From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share grew 11.2% a year and net income 9.4% a year, as buybacks cut the share count by 14%.

Net income

US$ billions, fiscal years; loss years in red.

Diluted earnings per share

US$ per share, fiscal years, restated for any stock splits; loss years in red.

Returns on capital

Return on capital and on equity

Percent. Return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business (debt plus equity, minus cash); return on equity is net income over shareholders' equity. Both use the average of opening and closing balances.

Return on capitalReturn on equity

Cash flow

Free cash flow

US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure; negative years in red.

Payouts and share count

Dividends and buybacks

US$ billions, cash paid in each fiscal year

DividendsShare buybacks

Diluted share count

Weighted-average diluted shares, millions

Valuation

Two ways to value Cabot yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.

Discounted cash flow (DCF)

A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from Cabot's 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from Cabot's cash from operations minus depreciation in fiscal 2025 (free cash flow before spending to grow: capital spending was 1.8 times depreciation, which holds its free cash flow down) of $511M, net cash of −$878M at September 30, 2025 and 54 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to Cabot: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, -4.9% a year, kept between 0% and 20%; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 13%: 11% for a cyclical or higher-risk business (Diversified Chemicals), plus 1 point as a smaller company, worth $3.9B, plus 1 point for unsteady results (revenue fell in two of the last five years); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

From the filings

Starting free cash flow, US$ millions

Cash from operations minus depreciation in fiscal 2025: a rough guide to cash flow before spending to grow, for a company building heavily.

Net cash, US$ millions

Cash and short-term investments minus debt and finance leases at September 30, 2025. Negative means net debt.

Diluted shares, millions

Weighted-average diluted shares in fiscal 2025.

Your assumptions

Start from

Fitted to Cabot's own revenue growth, as above. Cautious: growth of -2% then 0% a year, 2% after year 10, a 14% discount rate. Base: growth of 0% then 1% a year, 2.5% after year 10, a 13% discount rate. Optimistic: growth of 2% then 2.5% a year, 3% after year 10, a 12% discount rate.

Free cash flow growth, years 1 to 5 (% a year)

Free cash flow growth, years 6 to 10 (% a year)

Growth after year 10 (% a year)Long-run growth forever after year 10. Usually close to inflation, and always below the discount rate.

Discount rate (% a year)The yearly return an investor wants for the risk. A higher rate gives a lower value.

Value per share on these assumptions

—

Last close, October 26, 2026: $72.88
Value on these assumptions, against the last close: —

Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today: —
Everything after year 10, valued today: —
Plus net cash: —
Share of value from after year 10: —

Projected free cash flow

US$ billions. Each column is one year's projected free cash flow, split into what it is worth today and the part removed by discounting.

Value todayRemoved by discounting

How the value changes with two assumptions

Value per share in US$, with the growth rates above. The highlighted cell matches the current assumptions.

How the model works. Free cash flow grows at the first rate for five years and the second rate for five more, and each year is discounted at the discount rate. Everything after year 10 is valued as year-10 cash flow × (1 + growth after year 10) ÷ (discount rate − growth after year 10), discounted back ten years. Net cash is added and the total is divided by diluted shares. The result depends entirely on the assumptions. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation. The last close is the consolidated US closing price, from Databento.

Price-to-earnings (P/E) method

Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from Cabot's earnings per share of $5.72 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 20.5×, the middle of Cabot's own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (the Materials median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 14%, 13% and 12%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

Earnings per share, US$

Diluted earnings per share over the four quarters to December 31, 2025, from the 10-Qs and 10-K.

P/E multiple

P/E today is the last close divided by the latest earnings per share, the four quarters' where available. Peers: Ashland Global, AptarGroup.

Earnings growth in the years ahead (% a year) Starts at Cabot's revenue growth over the last 3 years, -4.9% a year, kept between 0% and 20%, as the base scenario does.

Earnings per share in the years ahead, US$

Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5

Type your own estimate for any year; the years after it carry on at the growth rate.

Apply the multiple to earnings

A multiple on a future year's earnings gives the price then, brought back to today at the discount rate below.

Discount rate (% a year) The yearly return an investor wants for the risk, as in the cash flow model.

Value per share today at this multiple

—

Last close, October 26, 2026: $72.88
Value at this multiple, against the last close: —
Cabot's P/E at the last close: 12.7×

Company	Last close	Earnings per share	P/E today
Ashland GlobalASH	$72.32	$1.05	68.9×
AptarGroupATR	$127.07	$5.54	22.9×
CabotCBT	$72.88	$5.72	12.7×

How the P/E method works. Value per share is earnings per share times the multiple. On a future year's earnings, that gives the price in that year, which is brought back to today at the discount rate: price ÷ (1 + discount rate) for each year ahead. It is quick and easy to compare across companies, but it ignores debt and cash, and earnings can swing with one-off gains and charges, so a multiple says most about steady, profitable businesses. Like the cash flow model, the result depends entirely on the assumptions you choose. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation.

Balance sheet

Fiscal year end	FY21	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25
Cash and short-term investments	168	206	238	223	258
Debt incl. finance leases	1,166	1,452	1,284	1,147	1,136
Net debt (negative means net cash)	998	1,246	1,046	924	878
Net debt to EBITDA	1.6x	2.3x	1.6x	1.2x	1.1x
Debt to equity	1.2x	1.6x	1.0x	0.8x	0.7x
Interest coverage	9.3x	7.0x	5.8x	7.6x	8.2x
Current ratio	1.2x	1.6x	2.0x	2.1x	1.6x
Quick ratio	0.8x	1.1x	1.3x	1.4x	1.1x

US$ millions unless stated, at each fiscal year end. Net debt to EBITDA is debt minus cash, divided by operating income before depreciation and amortization: roughly how many years of those earnings the net debt equals. Debt to equity is debt as a multiple of shareholders' equity. Interest coverage is operating income divided by interest expense. The current ratio is current assets over current liabilities; the quick ratio leaves out inventory.

Insider trades

Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, no insider bought Cabot shares on the open market, and 1 insider sold $19.6 million.

Date	Insider	Trade	Shares	Price	Value	Filing
Aug 28, 2026	Sean D KeohanePresident and CEO, Director	Sold	134,895	$85.00	$11.5 million	Form 4
Aug 24, 2026	Sean D KeohanePresident and CEO, Director	Sold	2,779	$85.50	$237,604	Form 4
Aug 7, 2026	Sean D KeohanePresident and CEO, Director	Sold	91,923	$86.41	$7.9 million	Form 4

Open-market purchases and sales by officers, directors and 10% owners, from their Form 4 filings with the SEC: one row per person, day and filing, at the day's average price. Grants, option exercises and shares withheld for tax aren't counted. Insiders buy and sell for many reasons, such as taxes, spreading their savings or a plan set up months earlier, so a trade on its own says little about where a company is heading. For information only, not investment advice. Insider trades at all companies

Piotroski F-score

The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.

Test	FY23	FY24	FY25
Net income is positive	Pass	Pass	Pass
Cash from operations is positive	Pass	Pass	Pass
Return on assets rose	Pass	Fail	Fail
Cash from operations exceeds net income	Pass	Pass	Pass
Debt fell relative to assets	Pass	Pass	Pass
Current ratio rose	Pass	Pass	Fail
Share count didn't rise	Pass	Pass	Pass
Gross margin rose	Pass	Pass	Pass
Revenue rose relative to assets	Fail	Fail	Fail
F-score	8 of 9	7 of 9	6 of 9
Accruals ratio	−4.2%	−8.5%	−8.8%

The accruals ratio is net income minus cash from operations, over average total assets.

Compare

Put Cabot side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.

Similar companies

Company	Year	Revenue growth	Operating margin	Free cash flow margin	Return on capital	Net debt to EBITDA	F-score	Compare
Cabot	FY25	−7.0%	16.7%	10.5%	15.9%	1.1x	6
Chemours	FY25	0.5%	—	0.9%	−0.2%	10.6x	4	Compare
Olin	FY25	3.7%	0.1%	3.7%	0.1%	5.1x	4	Compare
Ashland Global	FY25	−13.7%	−42.5%	2.0%	−17.5%	—	5	Compare
AptarGroup	FY25	5.4%	13.3%	7.9%	11.4%	1.4x	7	Compare

Each company's latest fiscal year. Fiscal years end in different months, so the periods don't line up exactly. Free cash flow margin is free cash flow as a share of revenue. Net debt to EBITDA is explained under the balance sheet, and the F-score above.

10 years of figures

Fiscal year	FY16	FY17	FY18	FY19	FY20	FY21	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25
Income statement
Revenue	2,411	2,717	3,242	3,337	2,614	3,409	4,321	3,931	3,994	3,713
Revenue growth	−16.0%	12.7%	19.3%	2.9%	−21.7%	30.4%	26.8%	−9.0%	1.6%	−7.0%
Gross profit	575	657	772	685	500	799	885	839	960	940
Research and development	53	57	66	60	57	56	55	57	63	59
Operating income	247	338	144	306	21	454	389	526	614	621
Net income	147	248	−113	157	−238	250	209	445	380	331
Diluted EPS (US$)	2.32	3.91	−1.85	2.63	−4.21	4.34	3.62	7.73	6.72	6.02
Diluted shares (millions)	63	63	62	59	57	57	57	56	56	54
Cash flow
Cash from operations	392	348	298	363	377	257	100	595	692	665
Capital expenditure	112	147	229	224	200	195	211	244	241	274
Free cash flow	280	201	69	139	177	62	−111	351	451	391
Dividends paid	65	77	80	80	80	80	84	88	93	96
Share buybacks	45	61	142	173	44	3	53	98	172	168
Acquisitions	0	0	64	3	92	0	9	0	0	27
Stock-based compensation	17	16	22	11	9	21	23	20	25	24
Balance sheet at fiscal year end
Cash and short-term investments	200	280	175	169	151	168	206	238	223	258
Debt incl. finance leases	914	915	996	1,071	1,120	1,166	1,452	1,284	1,147	1,136
Total assets	3,052	3,338	3,244	3,004	2,781	3,306	3,525	3,604	3,736	3,815
Total liabilities	1,646	1,713	1,965	1,870	1,967	2,216	2,493	2,197	2,146	2,110
Shareholders' equity	1,274	1,504	1,154	998	691	947	898	1,264	1,425	1,550
Margins and ratios
Gross margin	23.9%	24.2%	23.8%	20.5%	19.1%	23.4%	20.5%	21.3%	24.0%	25.3%
Operating margin	10.2%	12.4%	4.4%	9.2%	0.8%	13.3%	9.0%	13.4%	15.4%	16.7%
Net margin	6.1%	9.1%	−3.5%	4.7%	−9.1%	7.3%	4.8%	11.3%	9.5%	8.9%
Free cash flow margin	11.6%	7.4%	2.1%	4.2%	6.8%	1.8%	−2.6%	8.9%	11.3%	10.5%
Return on capital	9.4%	13.8%	3.3%	10.7%	0.9%	16.4%	12.4%	22.2%	19.5%	15.9%
Return on equity	11.7%	17.9%	−8.5%	14.6%	−28.2%	30.5%	22.7%	41.2%	28.3%	22.2%
Return on assets	4.8%	7.8%	−3.4%	5.0%	−8.2%	8.2%	6.1%	12.5%	10.3%	8.8%
Net debt to EBITDA	1.8x	1.3x	2.8x	2.0x	5.4x	1.6x	2.3x	1.6x	1.2x	1.1x

US$ millions unless stated. Where a later 10-K restated a year, the latest filed figure is shown. Download all figures (CSV, US$ millions)

Source: Cabot's Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR. For information only, not investment advice. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with Cabot.