Element Solutions Inc vs ICL GROUP LTD., two Chemicals stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Element Solutions sells specialty chemistry for electronics and surface finishes at a growth price, 73.68 times earnings and 4.05 times book, on a 5.32% net margin and 5.41% return on equity. ICL Group mines potash and specialty minerals in Israel and earns a bit less, a 3.91% net margin and 4.49% return on equity, but trades at book, 1.04 times, and 27.89 times earnings. The cash gap is stark: ICL yields 16.3% in free cash while Element runs -1.28%. ICL carries no net debt against Element's 0.75 to equity. A richly priced electronics-chemistry name beside a cash-generating miner valued at its assets.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | ESI | ICL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39.83 | $4.86 |
| Market cap | $9.7B | $6.3B |
| Sector | Chemicals | Chemicals |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | -3.5% |
| P/E | 64.2 | 27.0 |
| P/B | 3.53 | 1.00 |
| P/S | 3.47 | 0.88 |
| EV/EBITDA | 21.8 | 4.6 |
| Revenue growth | +13.4% | +3.6% |
| Gross margin | 38.4% | 30.6% |
| Operating margin | 13.3% | 8.1% |
| Net margin | 5.3% | 3.9% |
| Return on equity | 5.4% | 4.5% |
| Return on assets | 2.6% | 2.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 5.3% | 5.9% |
| FCF yield | -1.5% | 16.8% |
| Dividend yield | 0.8% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.75 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 2.68 | 1.33 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.48 | 1.44 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 4 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
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.