Estee Lauder Companies Inc vs PROCTER & GAMBLE CO, two Household Products stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Estee Lauder's gross margin, near 76%, is the richest in this pair, and it still ends the year with a negative net margin, which tells you the trouble lives below gross in the operating and overhead lines. Procter & Gamble starts lower at the top but keeps far more, a 21.6% operating margin and a 19% net margin, the difference between a brand portfolio that scales and one currently absorbing costs faster than it sells. Because Estee Lauder is lossmaking, there is no earnings multiple to compare against P&G's 22 times trailing. P&G also earns a solid 30% on equity it has not levered much, 0.68 debt-to-equity, and pays a 2.7% dividend to Estee Lauder's 1.9%. The market treats one as a working compounding machine and the other as a turnaround it has not yet seen turn.
Comparison updated 2026-06-15.
| Metric | EL | PG |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $82.69 | $147.02 |
| Market cap | $30.2B | $355.3B |
| Sector | Household Products | Household Products |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +0.1% |
| P/E | — | 21.5 |
| P/B | 7.57 | 6.49 |
| P/S | 2.04 | 4.10 |
| EV/EBITDA | 29.9 | 16.9 |
| Revenue growth | +0.5% | +3.4% |
| Gross margin | 76.4% | — |
| Operating margin | 6.7% | 21.6% |
| Net margin | -1.7% | 19.2% |
| Return on equity | -6.2% | 30.4% |
| Return on assets | -1.3% | 12.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 2.0% | 17.4% |
| FCF yield | 4.3% | 4.2% |
| Dividend yield | 2.1% | 2.8% |
| Debt / equity | 1.71 | 0.68 |
| Current ratio | 1.27 | 0.73 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.72 | 5.07 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 7 / 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.