DD vs PPG: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of October 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: PPG is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. DD and PPG share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined DD and PPG exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

DuPont de Nemours is a diversified specialty chemicals and materials company. After the 2019 split of DowDuPont into three companies (Dow, DuPont, Corteva), DuPont retained the specialty materials businesses. In 2024 it announced a plan to separate into three companies (Electronics, Water and Industrial); the plan was later narrowed, and the step that happened was the spin-off of the electronics business as Qnity Electronics, which DuPont announced as complete in late 2025. DuPont now describes itself as focused on healthcare, water, construction and industrial markets, and its best-known products include Tyvek protective and medical packaging materials.

Full DD guide

PPG Industries is a global leader in coatings and specialty materials, meaning it manufactures paints, coatings, and finishes rather than end products. In 2025 it reported net sales of about $15.9 billion, and effective at the end of 2024 it reorganized into three reportable segments: Global Architectural Coatings (paints for homes and buildings), Performance Coatings (aerospace, protective and marine, automotive refinish, and traffic solutions), and Industrial Coatings (automotive OEM, general industrial, and packaging coatings). Its products protect and finish everything from cars and aircraft to bridges, food and beverage cans, and house walls, giving it exposure to a broad mix of end markets rather than dependence on any single one. Because coatings are sold into manufacturing and construction, PPG's volumes are cyclical, but it competes on formulation, technology, brand, and service, which gives it pricing power to pass through raw-material costs over time.

Full PPG guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• DD drivers: Life after the Qnity spin-off; Healthcare and protective materials.
• PPG drivers: Diversified coatings end markets; Pricing power and innovation.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Separation aftereffects: GAAP results still carry separation and restructuring costs, and the payout ratio on GAAP earnings is about 81%, so the dividend depends on the adjusted earnings recovery holding. For PPG, the main risk is cyclicality: PPG's volumes depend on global manufacturing, construction, and auto production, so an industrial slowdown or weak housing and vehicle demand compresses sales, as the modest flat-to-low-single-digit 2026 organic guidance reflects.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick DD if you believe its drivers more; PPG if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the DD and PPG guides.

DD. The trailing P/E of about 36x is distorted by separation charges; on forward estimates DuPont trades near 16.5x, a typical specialty-materials multiple now that the electronics business trades separately as Qnity. The average analyst target of about $165 sits above the price, though several firms cut targets in October 2026 ahead of the November 3 third-quarter report.

PPG. Figures are approximate and tied to the asOf date; verify live numbers before acting. PPG is a mature, cyclical industrial, so its valuation tends to move with expectations for global manufacturing and construction demand more than with any single quarter; at about 12.6 times forward earnings and 11 times EV/EBITDA it trades below the high-teens multiples quality industrials often command. The dividend-aristocrat record and pricing power are genuine quality signals, but the case rests on margin execution, cost discipline, and a cyclical recovery in its end markets, with Q3 results due October 27, 2026.

Headline figures (approximate, October 2026): DD shows revenue (ttm, post-qnity) ~$7.0 billion, +~4% yoy in Q2 2026, q2 2026 adjusted eps $1.88 vs ~$1.76 expected, operating margin (ttm) ~14%, net income (ttm) ~$306 million GAAP (separation costs); EPS ~$3.69; PPG shows revenue (ttm) ~$16.4 billion; Q2 2026 ~$4.5 billion, up ~7% year over year, 2026 outlook Adjusted EPS guided ~$7.70 to $8.10; consensus ~$7.89, margins Gross ~41%, operating ~14%, net ~9.6%, net income / eps ~$1.57 billion TTM; Q2 2026 adjusted EPS $2.23 vs ~$2.25 expected.

DD and PPG are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined DD and PPG exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.