AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS LTD. vs RPM International Inc., two Specialty Chemicals stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
RPM International sells specialty coatings and sealants through consumer and industrial channels, earning 21.15% on equity with zero net debt and a book value priced at 4.55 times. Axalta Coating Systems earns 14.96% on equity, keeps debt near nothing at 0.01, and trades at 3.00 times book. RPM's margin runs 8.63% and Axalta's 7.22%, close enough that returns turn on capital use rather than pricing. Axalta converts more to cash, a 6.59% free-cash yield against 4.01%, and trades cheaper at 20.18 times earnings versus 21.67. RPM pays a 1.12% dividend; Axalta pays none. Both lean on repeat coatings demand rather than commodity swings.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | AXTA | RPM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $32.48 | $105.13 |
| Market cap | $7.0B | $13.4B |
| Sector | Specialty Chemicals | Specialty Chemicals |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -2.4% | — |
| P/E | 19.0 | 20.3 |
| P/B | 2.83 | 4.26 |
| P/S | 1.36 | 1.74 |
| EV/EBITDA | 6.3 | 254.9 |
| Revenue growth | -2.5% | +5.9% |
| Gross margin | — | 39.5% |
| Operating margin | 11.6% | — |
| Net margin | 7.2% | 8.6% |
| Return on equity | 15.0% | 21.1% |
| Return on assets | 4.9% | 8.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 24.6% | — |
| FCF yield | 7.0% | 4.3% |
| Dividend yield | — | 1.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 2.10 | 2.28 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.19 | 7.85 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.