AXTA vs ESI vs MKSI Stock Comparison

Axalta Coating Systems, Element Solutions and Mks Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ESI Element Solutions Inc
$35.80 +1.9% 1M +36.5% 1Y
Market cap
$8.59B
P/E
41.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.49B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Chemicals Basic Materials
2 wins
MKSI Mks Inc
$218.24 -15.5% 1M +55.4% 1Y
Market cap
$14.63B
P/E
33.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.35B
Div. yield
0.00%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Axalta Coating Systems leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Axalta Coating Systems 5, Mks 4, Element Solutions 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAXTAESIMKSILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $7.29B $8.59B $14.63B MKSI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.9x 41.9x 33.3x AXTA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 12.8x 20.8x 16.2x AXTA
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -0.9% +39.6% +16.3% ESI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.8% 5.9% 10.1% MKSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.2% 5.4% 8.9% MKSI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 3.2x 3.2x AXTA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +16.7% +36.5% +55.4% MKSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.1%/yr +9.5%/yr +7.8%/yr ESI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.1% 47.0% 61.8% AXTA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 61/100 52/100 56/100 AXTA

Percentile Scorecard

AXTAESIMKSI

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAXTAESIMKSI
Valuation 68 #31 of 94 41 #56 of 94 76 #23 of 94
Growth 61 #36 of 91 77 #22 of 91 73 #26 of 92
Profitability 78 #19 of 84 60 #34 of 84 65 #32 of 90
Financial Health 38 #59 of 94 47 #50 of 94 1 #98 of 99
Shareholder Returns – 32 #47 of 69 65 #26 of 73
Overall 61 52 56
  • AXTA ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • ESI ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • MKSI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAXTAESIMKSISPY
1 month +6.1%+1.9%-15.5% +0.9%
3 months -0.5%+2.8%-15.3% +5.9%
6 months +22.9%-15.9%-17.8% +8.5%
Year to date +7.3%+43.3%+36.6% +13.3%
1 year +16.7%+36.5%+55.4% +12.4%
3 years +36.4%+98.9%+224.9% +88.1%
3 years, per year +10.9%+25.8%+48.2% +23.5%
5 years +11.2%+57.6%+45.4% +68.2%
5 years, per year +2.1%+9.5%+7.8% +11.0%
10 years +38.5%+397.2%+339.6% +263.4%
10 years, per year +3.3%+17.4%+16.0% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureAXTAESIMKSISPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.1%47.0%61.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.6%47.6%66.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.082.192.82 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.520.780.90 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.4%-40.3%-67.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.2%-27.1%-50.9% -0.9%
52-week high $38.19$49.09$444.80 $779.14
52-week low $25.44$22.99$137.20 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAXTAESIMKSI
P/E now vs peer median 21.3xmedian 22.0x 42.5xmedian 22.0x 33.5xmedian 46.0x
P/S now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 1.4x 2.5xmedian 1.4x 3.4xmedian 7.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.0xmedian 12.4x 18.2xmedian 12.4x 17.3xmedian 28.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.0xmedian 15.5x 47.5xmedian 15.5x 32.4xmedian 41.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 1.7x 3.0xmedian 1.7x 4.9xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 1.28median 1.84 0.76median 1.84 1.09median 2.30

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAXTAESIMKSI
Revenue $5.15B $3.49B $4.35B
Gross profit $1.75B $1.28B $2.04B
Operating income $679.00M $408.70M $681.00M
Net income $350.00M $205.20M $439.00M
Free cash flow $495.00M $182.90M $455.00M
R&D $70.00M $80.00M $310.00M
EPS (diluted) $1.63 $0.84 $6.05
Cash & equivalents $633.00M $224.90M $611.00M
Total debt $3.07B $2.08B $3.94B
Shares (diluted) 214.70M 243.70M 72.70M
Enterprise value $4.79B $7.37B $12.08B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAXTAESIMKSI
P/E 21.3x 42.5x 33.5x
P/FCF 15.0x 47.5x 32.4x
P/Operating cash flow 10.6x 30.7x 23.2x
P/S 1.4x 2.5x 3.4x
P/B 2.9x 3.0x 4.9x
P/Tangible book 5.0x 4.6x 15.2x
EV/EBITDA 10.0x 18.2x 17.3x
EV/EBIT 14.5x 25.8x 26.6x
EV/Revenue 1.9x 3.0x 4.2x
EV/FCF 19.9x 57.6x 39.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 14.1x 37.2x 28.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.28 0.76 1.09

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAXTAESIMKSI
Revenue growth (1Y) -0.9% 39.6% 16.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 0.6% 14.4% 4.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -2.6% 21.5% 15.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.2% 11.7% 6.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) -9.3% 17.6% 33.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.0% 31.9% 35.4%
Net income growth (1Y) -21.9% -14.4% 64.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.2% 56.0% 31.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -20.4% -15.0% 52.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.6% 55.8% 30.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 17.6% -16.0% -1.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 20.1% -4.2% 20.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 19.9% -32.2% -13.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.3% -12.3% 22.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAXTAESIMKSI
Gross margin 34.0% 36.6% 47.0%
EBITDA margin 19.2% 16.6% 24.0%
Operating margin 13.2% 11.7% 15.7%
Pretax margin 10.0% 9.0% 11.2%
Net margin 6.8% 5.9% 10.1%
FCF margin 9.6% 5.2% 10.5%
Operating cash flow margin 13.6% 8.1% 14.6%
Return on equity 13.9% 7.2% 15.2%
Return on assets 4.6% 3.5% 5.0%
Return on invested capital 8.2% 5.4% 8.9%
Return on capital employed 12.0% 7.8% 10.6%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.6x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 1.4x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 2.4% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAXTAESIMKSI
Debt / assets 39.8% 35.5% 44.1%
Debt / equity 1.2x 0.7x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x 3.2x 3.2x
Debt / FCF 6.2x 11.4x 8.7x
Liabilities / assets 66.6% 50.7% 66.6%
Equity / assets 33.4% 49.3% 33.4%
Interest coverage 4.2x – 3.7x
Current ratio 1.5x 2.8x 1.1x
Quick ratio 1.0x 1.7x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.4x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.40 2.60 2.42

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAXTAESIMKSI
Dividend yield – 0.9% 0.4%
Net buyback yield – 0.5% –
Shareholder yield – 1.4% 0.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 14.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 13.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 6.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 3.4%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAXTAESIMKSI
Forward P/E 12.8xFY2026 20.8xFY2026 16.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.71FY2026 $1.72FY2026 $13.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.8%FY2026 +15.4%FY2026 +71.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +1.1% +33.7% +34.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.37BFY2026 $3.86BFY2026 $5.43BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +4.9%FY2026 +51.4%FY2026 +38.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -2.9% +2.3% +8.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAXTAESIMKSI
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 358 499 775
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.0% +0.6% +2.8%
Institutions buying 162 269 455
Institutions selling 144 176 252
Buyers to sellers 1.13 1.53 1.81

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AXTAESIMKSI
AXTA 1.00 0.33 0.20
ESI 0.33 1.00 0.64
MKSI 0.20 0.64 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AXTA, ESI and MKSI?

Mks (MKSI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) $7.29B, Element Solutions (ESI) $8.59B, Mks (MKSI) $14.63B.

Which stock is cheaper, AXTA, ESI and MKSI?

Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 20.9x, Element Solutions (ESI) 41.9x, Mks (MKSI) 33.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) is cheapest (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 12.8x, Element Solutions (ESI) 20.8x, Mks (MKSI) 16.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Element Solutions (ESI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) -0.9%, Element Solutions (ESI) +39.6%, Mks (MKSI) +16.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mks (MKSI) has the highest net margin (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 6.8%, Element Solutions (ESI) 5.9%, Mks (MKSI) 10.1%). On return on invested capital, Mks (MKSI) leads (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 8.2%, Element Solutions (ESI) 5.4%, Mks (MKSI) 8.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Mks (MKSI) returned the most: Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) +16.7%, Element Solutions (ESI) +36.5%, Mks (MKSI) +55.4%. Over five years, Element Solutions (ESI) compounded fastest (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) +2.1%/yr, Element Solutions (ESI) +9.5%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +7.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 0.00%, Element Solutions (ESI) 0.00%, Mks (MKSI) 0.00%. Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) and Element Solutions (ESI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) has been the steadiest (Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) 32.1%, Element Solutions (ESI) 47.0%, Mks (MKSI) 61.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AXTA, ESI and MKSI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.