Top 15 Fastest-Growing Profitable Basic Materials Stocks
Marvin's rules found 15 profitable Basic Materials companies with strong last-year revenue growth. Gold and precious-metals miners lead, followed by building materials, steel, fertilizer, copper and aluminum names.
Basic Materials companies dig up, process or make the raw inputs other businesses use, such as metals, minerals, chemicals and fertilizer. This list shows the 15 profitable companies in the sector that grew revenue fastest in their last fiscal year, according to Marvin's rules. Gold and other precious-metals miners fill the top four spots.
Fast growth is only one part of the picture. Revenue in this sector can move a lot from year to year, so one strong year does not show a lasting trend. Each write-up below also looks at margins, returns and debt where Marvin has the data, and flags gaps or weak spots.
Marvin's scores describe how each company compares with other companies in its own industry today. They are not predictions and not advice. Data is as of October 2026.
The list
How Marvin ranked these stocks
Marvin starts with companies above a minimum size and keeps those in the Basic Materials sector that are profitable and have a solid Overall score. A limited number from any one industry are allowed. The list is ordered by revenue growth in the last fiscal year, fastest first. Marvin's Overall, Quality and Opportunity scores run from low to high and are relative to each company's own industry, so a gold miner is compared with other gold miners, not with a chemicals maker.
Companies above about $300 million in size, ranked by Marvin scores (0-100, relative to each company's own industry). The Basic Materials sector, fastest last-fiscal-year revenue growth first, among profitable companies with an Overall score of at least 55; at most 4 per industry.
The stocks, one by one
Coeur Mining, Inc. CDE
Coeur Mining grew revenue 96.4% last fiscal year, the fastest on this list, with an operating margin of 33.8% and a free cash flow margin of 36.5%. Caution: return on equity is a more modest 8.2%, so profit relative to shareholder capital is less impressive.
AngloGold Ashanti Plc AU
AngloGold Ashanti grew revenue 70.8% and earned a gross margin of 49.2%. Return on equity is 39.2%, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28 points to low debt. Caution: operating margin and free cash flow margin are not available, so cash profit is harder to judge.
SSR Mining Inc. SSRM
SSR Mining grew revenue 63.7% and has an operating margin of 35.1%, but its free cash flow margin is only 16.6%. Caution: that gap means much less profit turned into cash, and return on equity of 7.0% is modest. Its Overall score is 90.
Hecla Mining Company HL
Hecla Mining grew revenue 53.0%, with an operating margin of 44.6%, a gross margin of 51.7% and a free cash flow margin of 27.8%, all healthy. Caution: return on equity is only 12.5%, and debt-to-equity is not available.
Quanex Building Products Corporation NX
Quanex Building Products grew revenue 43.8% and has an Overall score of 95, lifted by an Opportunity score of 96. Caution: its Quality score is just 59, return on equity is 6.1%, debt-to-equity of 1.09 is the highest here, and margin figures are missing.
Royal Gold, Inc. RGLD
Royal Gold grew revenue 43.2% with a high operating margin of 61.4% and gross margin of 66.8%. Debt is very low, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Caution: return on equity is a modest 9.7%, and free cash flow margin is not available.
NPK International Inc. NPKI
NPK International grew revenue 27.4% with an operating margin of 17.3% and very low debt, at a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Its Quality score is 92. Caution: free cash flow margin (9.2%) and return on equity (11.5%) are modest.
Commercial Metals Company CMC
Commercial Metals grew revenue 20.5% and earned a return on equity of 14.0%, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Caution: margins are thin, with a gross margin of 18.6% and a free cash flow margin of 5.1%, and operating margin is not available.
CF Industries Holdings, Inc. CF
CF Industries grew revenue 19.3% with a strong operating margin of 41.1%, a free cash flow margin of 24.7% and return on equity of 43.5%. Caution: debt-to-equity of 0.63 is moderate, so borrowing is worth checking.
LSB Industries, Inc. LXU
LSB Industries grew revenue 17.8% and turned 14.8% of sales into free cash flow. Caution: operating margin is thin at 9.5%, return on equity is 6.8%, debt-to-equity is 0.92, and its Overall score of 60 is the lowest on this list.
Southern Copper Corporation SCCO
Southern Copper grew revenue 17.4% with an operating margin of 56.9%, a free cash flow margin of 32.3% and return on equity of 45.0%, all strong. Caution: its Opportunity score of 76 trails its Quality score of 89.
United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. USLM
United States Lime & Minerals grew revenue 17.3% with an operating margin of 42.1%, return on equity of 19.3% and almost no debt, at a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.00. Caution: its Opportunity score of 60 is far below its Quality score of 96.
Intrepid Potash, Inc. IPI
Intrepid Potash grew revenue 17.1%, but profits are thin: operating margin is 4.3% and return on equity is 5.1%. Free cash flow margin is 9.8%. Caution: debt-to-equity is not available, and its Overall score of 73 is among the lower ones here.
CVR Partners, LP UAN
CVR Partners grew revenue 15.4% with an operating margin of 28.1%, a gross margin of 33.5% and a free cash flow margin of 21.4%. Caution: return on equity and debt-to-equity are not available, so returns on capital and borrowing cannot be judged here.
Century Aluminum Company CENX
Century Aluminum grew revenue 13.9% with an operating margin of 25.6% and return on equity of 43.0%. Caution: only 5.7% of sales became free cash flow, gross margin is thin at 19.2%, and its Overall score is 69.
Common questions
What does 'profitable' mean in this list?
Marvin only included companies that were profitable, meaning they earned more than they spent. Profitable companies can still have thin margins, so check the operating and free cash flow margins in each write-up.
Does fast revenue growth make a stock a good choice?
Not by itself. Growth shows how much a company's sales rose in its last fiscal year. In materials businesses, sales often move with commodity prices, so a big jump in one year may not repeat. Margins, debt and returns help show how durable the growth might be.
Why are the scores compared within each industry?
Industries have very different economics. A gold miner, a fertilizer maker and a steel producer have different normal margins and debt levels. Comparing each company with its own industry peers gives a fairer view than comparing across the whole sector.
Keep reading
- Top 15 Basic Materials Companies With the Strongest Businesses
- Top 15 Basic Materials Stocks Right Now
- Top 15 Basic Materials Stocks Ranked by Marvin Opportunity Score
- Top 15 Construction Materials Stocks by Marvin Score
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Marvin's scores (0-100) compare each company with others in its industry today. Growth and margin figures come from SEC filings. This is general information, not personal investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell anything. Do your own research.