Univar Selected As Key Channel To Market Dow's Polyurethanes

Univar Inc. (NYSE:UNVR) recently announced that it was chosen as a key North American channel for distributing and marketing Dow's wide range of product portfolio of isocyanates and polyols effective Apr 1, 2019.

Univar stated that it is focused on enriching buying experience that will create a transparent ecosystem for customers and suppliers. The latest move of combining the innovation and product breadth of Dow with Univar’s formulation expertise in Technical Solution Centers is likely to create a value-creating partnership in the industry.

Univar’s shares have lost 22.1% in the past year compared with the 21.2% decline of the industry.

Univar’s earnings came in at 33 cents a share in the first quarter, down 21.4% year over year. Nevertheless, the figure topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 23 cents.

For 2019, Univar continues to expect adjusted EBITDA between $740 million and $760 million. The projected figure reflects 10-months earnings from the Nexeo Chemicals business and net realized synergies worth roughly $10 million. It also expects to generate $300-$350 million in free cash flow in 2019.

Moreover, Univar projects adjusted EBITDA between $195 million and $200 million for the second quarter, up from $173.1 million in the year-ago quarter.

Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

Univar currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Some other top-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Materion Corporation (NYSE:MTRN) , Flexible Solutions International Inc (NYSE:FSI) and AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE:AU) , all currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Materion has an expected earnings growth rate of 27.3% for 2019. The company’s shares have gained 12.3% in the past year.

Flexible Solutions has a projected earnings growth rate of 342.9% for the current year. The company’s shares have surged 91.6% in a year’s time.

AngloGold has an estimated earnings growth rate of 90.6% for the current year. Its shares have rallied 67.6% in the past year.

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