So I've been digging through some of the best chemical stocks 2019 had to offer, and there's actually something interesting happening in this sector that most people seem to be sleeping on. While everyone's chasing the tech rally, chemical companies are trading at pretty reasonable valuations — many in the mid-teens or lower on earnings multiples. The thing is, there's a reason they're cheap. These stocks are cyclical as hell, and earnings tend to bounce around rather than grow in a straight line. That's enough to scare off a lot of retail investors. But here's the thing: if you can stomach the volatility, there's real value sitting here.

Let me break down five plays that caught my attention. DowDuPont is basically the global sales leader in chemicals, yet DWDP trades at just 14.5x forward earnings. There's a whole restructuring story here with spinoffs that might be creating uncertainty, but Wall Street's seeing about 43% upside potential on the stock. Add in a 3%+ dividend and you've got something worth looking at.

Then there's Albemarle, the world's biggest lithium producer. The EV growth story is huge for them, even though the stock got absolutely hammered recently — down a third over 52 weeks. Sure, there are oversupply concerns and competition from other producers, but a forward P/E of ten looks pretty attractive. This feels like a more interesting play on the electric vehicle boom than chasing the obvious names.

W.R. Grace has basically been stuck in neutral for years despite solid growth and consistent earnings beats. But that's actually created an opportunity. The forward P/E dropped below 15x, which is in line with the broader sector. Yeah, there's some exposure to gasoline through their FCC business that could be a headwind, but the company's well-managed and the valuation's gotten reasonable.

H.B. Fuller is interesting because it's in adhesives, which is less cyclical than other chemical markets. They've already run up about 30% from 2015 lows, but management's got aggressive targets for growth through acquisitions and shifting toward higher-margin products. At around 11x EBITDA and 17x earnings, there's potential upside that doesn't look fully priced in yet.

Finally, Tronox is definitely a high-risk play. The stock's been all over the place because it's heavily dependent on titanium dioxide prices, which swing wildly. It's trading at just five times forward earnings, but that's because the volatility is real. This one's only for people who can handle the ride.

The broader point here is that the best chemical stocks 2019 and beyond might be worth a closer look if you've got patience for cyclicality. The U.S. economy's still solid, commodity costs are relatively stable, and valuations are genuinely cheap compared to what you're seeing elsewhere. Just don't expect these to move in a straight line.