Start here if you're new
what it is
Corteva sells seeds and crop chemicals farmers buy when weather, pests, and profit all start arguing.
how it gets paid
Last year Corteva made $17.4B in revenue.
why it's growing
Revenue grew 2.9% last year. The miss was 12.0%, because $0.22 came in below the $0.25 estimate, and short-term stocks care about the gap more than the speech.
what just happened
Corteva's last reported quarter missed estimates, with EPS at $0.22 versus a $0.25 consensus.
At a glance
A balance sheet — strong enough to weather a downturn
85/100 earnings predictability — you can trust these numbers
19.7x trailing p/e — priced about right
1.1% dividend yield — cash in your pocket every quarter
10.0% return on capital — nothing to write home about
xvary composite: 72/100 — average
What they do
Corteva sells seeds and crop chemicals farmers buy when weather, pests, and profit all start arguing.
Corteva wins because farmers do not like gambling with yield. Seed genetics and crop chemicals are sticky choices, and Corteva sells into roughly 110 countries with brands farmers already know. Seed made 56% of 2024 revenue, which means more than half the business starts with products you put in the ground before you see any result.
How they make money
$17.4B
annual revenue · their business grew +2.9% last year
total revenue
$17.4B
+2.9%
The products that matter
branded seed platform
Pioneer
seed sits at $9.7B · 56% of segment revenue shown
it sits inside the $9.7B seed segment, and that planting decision can shape a farmer's chemistry plan for the entire season.
season-long lock-in
crop chemicals portfolio
crop protection portfolio
$7.7B · 44% of segment revenue shown
this is the $7.7B chemistry side of the business — herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides that monetize the same farm customer after the seed sale.
cross-sell engine
research engine
R&D program
8% of sales reinvested
spending 8% of sales on R&D is how corteva keeps its traits, chemistry, and pricing power from getting commoditized.
moat maintenance
Key numbers
17.3x
FY2026 P/E
EPS estimate → expected profit per share → so what: at $65.88 and $3.80 in expected EPS, you are paying about 17.3 times next year's profit.
$79
18-month target
Target price → analyst fair-value guess → so what: the published 18-month target sits about 20% above today's $65.88 price.
28.0%
Operating margin
Operating margin → profit after running the business → so what: Corteva keeps $0.28 from each sales dollar before interest and taxes.
10.0%
Return on capital
Return on capital → profit earned on money put into the business → so what: every $1 invested produces about $0.10 in operating return.
Financial health
A
strength
- balance sheet grade A — very strong financial position
- risk rank 2 — safer than 80% of stocks
- price stability 80 / 100
- long-term debt $1.7B (4% of capital)
- net profit margin 16.2% — keeps 16 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 10% — $0.10 profit for every $1 investors have put in
A with balance sheet grade and risk rank standing out. your money faces less risk here than at most public companies.
Total return vs. market
You invested $10,000 in CTVA 3 years ago → it's now worth $11,320.
The index would have given you $13,920.
source: institutional data · total return
What just happened
missed estimates
Corteva's last reported quarter missed estimates, with EPS at $0.22 versus a $0.25 consensus.
Quarterly EPS still improved to $0.25 in 4Q2025 from $0.32 a year earlier on the history, while the broader filing data showed revenue at $13.5B and EPS at $2.41 for the latest reported period. The clean read is this: the business is growing, but the latest print did not clear the bar traders wanted.
$4.4B
revenue
$2.41
eps
44.6%
gross margin
the number that mattered
The miss was 12.0%, because $0.22 came in below the $0.25 estimate, and short-term stocks care about the gap more than the speech.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
the #1 risk here is FTC action against Corteva's loyalty and pricing programs. this is not abstract regulation. it goes straight at how the company keeps farmers inside the system.
high
FTC lawsuit over loyalty programs
a january 2024 ruling allowed the FTC's case to proceed, targeting pricing practices tied to farmer loyalty.
the page frames $2.6B–$4.3B of crop protection revenue as exposed if those programs are curtailed.
med
planned business separation
management said in october 2025 that it plans to split the company into two businesses by Q4 2026.
the upside is clarity. the risk is execution drift, duplicated costs, and management attention getting pulled away from the field.
med
farm demand softening after a better quarter
latest quarter revenue grew 13% from a year ago, but the fy2026 revenue estimate on this page is $18B versus $21B in current annual revenue.
if that estimate is right, the market is already bracing for a step down. one strong quarter does not end an ag cycle.
a hit to loyalty pricing or a messy split would matter most because consensus already points to $18B revenue next year versus $21B today.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
metric
revenue staying above the $18B estimate
the page shows $21B in annual revenue today and $18B as the fy2026 estimate. that gap is the key debate.
calendar
the Q4 2026 split deadline
if the separation timeline starts slipping, the market will treat that as a signal that the clean story is getting messier.
risk
FTC case progress
this is the most direct threat to pricing behavior in the crop protection business. it's not legal noise. it's model risk.
trend
institutional buying staying positive
three straight quarters of net buying is supportive. if that flips while estimates fall, pay attention.
Analyst rankings
short-term outlook
average
outlook rank 3 — in human-speak, analysts think this probably behaves like the market unless a new catalyst shows up.
risk profile
above average
risk rank 2 — safer than roughly 80% of stocks. that's what the A balance sheet is buying you.
chart momentum
average
momentum rank 3 — no runaway trend here. this is a wait-for-proof stock, not a chase-it stock.
earnings predictability
85 / 100
management tends to give numbers the market can model. for you, that means fewer nasty surprises than the average cyclical business.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutions have been net buying for 3 consecutive quarters — 615 buyers vs. 559 sellers in 3q2025. total institutional holdings: 0.6B shares. net buying for 3 quarters.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$54
$103
$66
current price
$79
target midpoint · +20% from current · 3-5yr high: $110 (+65% · 14% ann'l return)
Want the deeper analysis?
The full deep dive: dcf model, scenario analysis, competitive moat breakdown, and quarterly tracking — everything on this page, taken further.
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