Orin
CTVANYSE·Agricultural Inputs

Corteva, Inc. CTVA

Market cap $54.1BP/E 53.3× trailingGross margin 48.5%Reports Tue 3 Nov, after the close
$80.83
+0.41 (+0.51%)live 09:40 ET
52-wk $60.53 – $90.97
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Orin's take
0.62conviction · moderate
Refreshed 17 Aug · take v7. A new filing or a print queues the next refresh.

Corteva's FY2025 results show genuine operational momentum — operating margin expanded to 0.1505 from 0.124, free cash flow reached $2.815B, and management raised 2026 guidance after a Q2 beat — but at a PE of 50.34 versus a peer median of 17.47, the stock trades at a premium that already discounts much of this improvement. The pending Oct. 1 separation into Vylor (seed) and a standalone crop protection entity could unlock sum-of-the-parts value, yet smart money has faded sharply (score 0.0093 as of 2026-06-30, down from 0.0891 the prior quarter) and 24-month insider net selling of $11.37M signals limited conviction from those closest to the business.

With the stock at $76.01, sitting right on its 200-day MA of $75.996 and below its 50-day MA of $81.55 with an RSI of 36.05, the risk/reward is balanced rather than compelling.

What could go wrong

  • Valuation compression. PE of 50.34 is 188% above the peer median of 17.47; any disappointment on separation terms or guidance could trigger a sharp de-rating.
  • Separation execution. The Oct. 1 split into Vylor and New Corteva introduces structural uncertainty, including debt allocation across entities and standalone cost structures.
  • Crop Protection pricing. News coverage explicitly flags Crop Protection pricing pressure as a persistent risk even amid raised guidance.
  • Institutional outflows. Smart money score collapsed to 0.0093 as of 2026-06-30 from 0.0891 the prior quarter, suggesting large holders are reducing exposure.

What would change my mind

Separation terms clarity. Detailed sum-of-the-parts valuation from the Vylor/New Corteva separation filings showing combined equity value meaningfully above current $76.01 share pricebullish
Margin and FCF continuation. FY2026 operating margin sustains above 0.1505 and FCF tracks toward or above the $2.815B FY2025 levelbullish
Crop Protection pricing deterioration. Q3 or Q4 2026 results show Crop Protection pricing declining further, compressing segment margins below FY2025 levelsbearish
PE remains elevated post-split. After the Oct. 1 separation, the standalone entities trade at a combined PE still well above the peer median of 17.47 without clear growth justificationbearish

Where this comes from: derived_metrics FY2025 vs FY2024 · fundamentals FY2025 · peer_relative · smart_money points. Orin's read on CTVA; not advice.

Twelve months actual closes to 2026-09-23 · actual filings

Sept 25Nov 25Jan 26Mar 26May 26Jul 26

50-day average 200-day average · volume below

Largest holders · 13F Q2 2026

Money flow
FilerPositionOf fund
Vanguard Capital Management$3.7B0.1% of fund
Capital World Investors$3.6B0.4% of fund
Fmr$3.5B0.2% of fund
State Street$3.2B0.1% of fund
Vanguard Portfolio Management$2.5B0.1% of fund
Franklin Resources$1.9B0.4% of fund

94 filers · quarter ended Q2 2026 · positions, not flows

Insiders, last 24 months: 99 Form 4 filings, net −$12.1M. Of the 50 on hand, 0 were open-market purchases and 2 sales— the rest are grants, option exercises and tax withholding.

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Where it trades

vs its own 5y · Basic Materials
MetricNowOwn medianSector
P/E53.3×41.2×29.8×
EV/EBITDA17.4×14.1×
P/S3.02×2.34×
P/B2.1×1.7×

Its P/E sits above all 5 of the last 5 years (+1.67σ from its own mean).

What the price assumes

7.1%

free-cash-flow growth every year for 10 years, discounted at 10%, is what today’s price implies — starting from $2.8B of trailing free cash flow. It is an assumption the market is making, not a forecast Orin is making.

What Wall Street published

37 firms · 2026-09-23
Consensus target

$95

$90$103 · +18% against today's price

How they rate it
  • 23 buy or overweight
  • 12 hold
  • 2 underweight or sell

The analysts’ consensus and their own ratings, not Orin’s. A target is a twelve-month opinion published by the firm that wrote it.

Against the companies it is compared to

median P/E 19.7× of 3 peers
CompanyMarket capP/EEV/EBITDAGrossNetROE
CTVACorteva, Inc.$54B53.3×17.4×48.5%5.7%4%
APDAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.$64B62.5×32.1%-0.4%-0%
MLMMartin Marietta Materials, Inc.$29B12.0×16.9×28.2%36.8%23%
NUENucor Corporation$56B19.7×10.8×15.5%8.0%14%
VMCVulcan Materials Company$32B28.8×14.2×27.4%13.8%13%

The median is of the 3 peers listed above and nothing else — check it against the column. This company trades 170.7% above it. The peer set is the vendor’s, so a company can appear here that a person would not have chosen.

What it has traded at

P/E by fiscal year
FY16 43.3×FY25 41.9×

What its sector has traded at

Basic Materials
FY14 23.8×FY26 28.6×

Two scales, drawn separately on purpose: a sector median and one company’s multiple are not the same number and putting them on one axis invites a comparison neither series supports.

Discounted cash flow

not recomputed since
ModelFair valueAgainstComputed
Standard DCF$71$75.66 · −6%2026-06-10
Levered DCF$153$75.66 · +102%2026-06-10

The vendor’s intrinsic-value models. Treat them as a low-growth anchor — for a fast grower the market routinely pays well above a DCF. These were computed against the price in the “against” column, not today’s.

Every estimate on one scale

price $80.83
52-week range$61 – $91
Analyst targets$90 – $103
Standard DCF$71 as of 2026-06-10, when it was $75.66
Levered DCF$153 as of 2026-06-10, when it was $75.66
At own 5y-median P/E (41×)$62
At 5y P/E range (20–46×)$30 – $70
At sector P/E (30×)$45

The vertical rule is the current price. Ranges and point estimates are the backend’s, published as they were calculated; an arrow means the estimate sits beyond this scale, and its number is on the right.