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Is Dow Inc. (DOW) One of the Best Performing S&P 500 Stocks So Far in 2026

Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) is one of the best performing S&P 500 stocks so far in 2026. On April 23, Dow reported Q1 2026 financial results, characterized by a 6% year-on-year decline in net sales to $9.8 billion. This drop was driven by a 7% decrease in local prices and a 2% dip in overall volume, largely due to disruptions in the Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure segment caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

While Performance Materials & Coatings remained flat, other segments saw notable declines as the company navigated global supply constraints and planned maintenance on the US Gulf Coast. The company’s bottom line reflected these challenges, with a GAAP net loss of $445 million and an operating loss per share of $0.14. Operating EBIT stood at $154 million, down $76 million from the previous year, as lower market prices pressured margins. However, these losses were partially mitigated by Dow’s aggressive cost-reduction program and the strategic suspension of equity loss recognition for Sadara.

Looking ahead, the CEO Jim Fitterling highlighted a positive inflection in margins starting in March, driven by global supply constraints and Dow’s self-help pricing actions. Despite the volatile macroeconomic environment and geopolitical risks, Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) remains focused on leveraging its Americas manufacturing footprint and European feedstock flexibility to drive growth and improve shareholder returns, having distributed $252 million in dividends this quarter.

Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) is a global materials science company. The company operates through three primary segments: Packaging & Specialty Plastics, Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure, and Performance Materials & Coatings.

While we acknowledge the risk and potential of DOW as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than DOW and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 33 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and Cathie Wood 2026 Portfolio: 10 Best Stocks to Buy. 

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The $250 Trillion AI Hype is Real. A few years from now, you’ll probably wish you’d bought this stock.

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard.

Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences.

At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000.

Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040.

Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:

  • 175 Teslas
  • 107 Amazons
  • 140 Metas
  • 84 Googles
  • 65 Microsofts
  • And 55 Nvidias

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It’s a leap so massive, it could reshape how businesses, governments, and consumers operate worldwide.

Even if that $250 trillion figure sounds ambitious, major firms like PwC and McKinsey still see AI unlocking multi-trillion-dollar potential.

How could anything be worth that much?

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  • Bill Gates sees artificial intelligence as the “biggest technological advance in my lifetime,” more transformative than the internet or personal computer, capable of improving healthcare, education, and addressing climate change.
  • Larry Ellison — through Oracle, is spending billions on Nvidia chips and partnering with Cohere to embed generative AI across Oracle’s cloud and apps.
  • Warren Buffett — not known for tech hype — says this breakthrough could have a ‘hugely beneficial social impact.

When billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street line up behind the same idea — you know it’s worth paying attention to.

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