COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY vs ECOLAB INC., two Household Products stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where CL and ECL diverge most: on debt / equity, CL reads 16.33 and ECL reads 0.16; on return on equity, CL reads 429.6% and ECL reads 21.0%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What CL's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What ECL's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | CL | ECL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $90.74 | $268.68 |
| Market cap | $73.1B | $76.2B |
| Sector | Household Products | Household Products |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +2.5% | — |
| P/E | 35.2 | 36.4 |
| P/B | 150.32 | 7.60 |
| P/S | 3.51 | 4.63 |
| EV/EBITDA | 20.8 | 25.9 |
| Revenue growth | +4.3% | +5.0% |
| Gross margin | 60.6% | — |
| Operating margin | 18.1% | 15.3% |
| Net margin | 10.0% | 12.8% |
| Return on equity | 429.6% | 21.0% |
| Return on assets | 12.6% | 8.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 28.9% | 18.9% |
| FCF yield | 5.2% | 2.5% |
| Dividend yield | 2.3% | 1.0% |
| Debt / equity | 16.33 | 0.16 |
| Current ratio | 1.02 | 0.99 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.43 | 4.51 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 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.