CL vs MMM vs KMB Stock Comparison

Colgate Palmolive, 3M and Kimberly Clark Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CL Colgate Palmolive Co
$95.61 +13.5% 1M +27.5% 1Y
Market cap
$78.67B
P/E
38.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$21.28B
Div. yield
0.02%
Personal Care Products Consumer Staples
6 wins
MMM 3M Co
$177.04 +9.4% 1M +9.2% 1Y
Market cap
$100.34B
P/E
28.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.25B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
3 wins
KMB Kimberly Clark Corp
$104.46 +10.7% 1M +2.1% 1Y
Market cap
$36.16B
P/E
18.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.58B
Div. yield
0.05%
Personal Care Products Consumer Staples
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Colgate Palmolive leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Colgate Palmolive 6, 3M 3, Kimberly Clark 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCLMMMKMBLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $78.67B $100.34B $36.16B MMM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 38.3x 28.4x 18.5x KMB
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 25.5x 19.9x 13.7x KMB
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.9% +1.7% +0.7% CL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 9.6% 14.0% 11.8% MMM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 27.6% 22.0% 19.4% CL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.6x 1.6x 1.7x MMM
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.02% 0.05% KMB
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +27.5% +9.2% +2.1% CL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +4.3%/yr +3.2%/yr -4.5%/yr CL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 23.3% 25.7% 24.7% CL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 61/100 49/100 54/100 CL

Percentile Scorecard

CLMMMKMB

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

AxisCLMMMKMB
Valuation 46 #28 of 51 36 #132 of 204 54 #24 of 51
Growth 56 #22 of 49 63 #71 of 191 40 #30 of 49
Profitability 96 #3 of 45 87 #25 of 189 84 #8 of 45
Financial Health 51 #27 of 54 19 #180 of 221 38 #34 of 54
Shareholder Returns 58 #14 of 32 41 #93 of 158 55 #15 of 32
Overall 61 49 54
  • CL ranked among 58 companies in Household and Personal Products
  • MMM ranked among 223 companies in Machinery
  • KMB ranked among 58 companies in Household and Personal Products

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCLMMMKMBSPY
1 month +13.5%+9.4%+10.7% -2.0%
3 months +3.3%-2.4%-6.4% -2.2%
6 months +10.7%+24.0%+7.5% +4.2%
Year to date +21.0%+10.6%+3.5% +10.6%
1 year +27.5%+9.2%+2.1% +10.4%
3 years +27.8%+125.6%-12.5% +73.6%
3 years, per year +8.5%+31.2%-4.4% +20.2%
5 years +23.7%+17.2%-20.4% +61.6%
5 years, per year +4.3%+3.2%-4.5% +10.1%
10 years +35.5%+26.9%-8.1% +261.3%
10 years, per year +3.1%+2.4%-0.8% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCLMMMKMBSPY
Volatility, 1Y 23.3%25.7%24.7% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 21.9%24.4%24.4% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.180.700.07 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.180.360.09 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -31.1%-53.4%-37.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -3.6%-3.7%-9.0% -3.2%
52-week high $99.14$183.81$114.74 $779.14
52-week low $74.98$141.20$93.05 $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.

MultipleCLMMMKMB
P/E now vs peer median 37.1xmedian 19.0x 26.0xmedian 25.4x 17.8xmedian 19.0x
P/S now vs peer median 3.6xmedian 1.7x 3.6xmedian 1.9x 2.1xmedian 1.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.6xmedian 13.3x 16.4xmedian 14.5x 12.4xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 20.1xmedian 15.9x 34.2xmedian 23.6x 19.1xmedian 15.9x
P/B now vs peer median 118.8xmedian 2.2x 21.9xmedian 2.2x 18.5xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 3.64median 0.87 0.72median 1.21 2.70median 0.87

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 monthsCLMMMKMB
Revenue $21.28B $25.25B $16.58B
Gross profit $12.90B $9.98B $6.10B
Operating income $3.16B $4.74B $2.51B
Net income $2.17B $3.58B $1.99B
Free cash flow $3.79B $2.68B $1.82B
R&D – $1.21B –
EPS (diluted) $2.57 $6.77 $5.87
Cash & equivalents $1.53B $4.84B $956.00M
Total debt $7.72B $15.00B $6.52B
Shares (diluted) 799.70M 522.60M 333.30M
Enterprise value $73.15B $81.78B $33.36B

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
MetricCLMMMKMB
P/E 37.1x 26.0x 17.8x
P/FCF 20.1x 34.2x 19.1x
P/Operating cash flow 17.4x 25.2x 10.4x
P/S 3.6x 3.6x 2.1x
P/B 118.8x 21.9x 18.5x
P/Tangible book -91.3x 43.2x 19.3x
EV/EBITDA 21.6x 16.4x 12.4x
EV/EBIT 26.0x 21.4x 16.0x
EV/Revenue 3.9x 4.0x 2.4x
EV/FCF 21.7x 37.9x 22.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.8x 27.9x 12.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.64 0.72 2.70

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCLMMMKMB
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.9% 1.7% 0.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.6% 10.7% -6.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 6.7% -1.8% 2.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 17.0% -2.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) -26.1% -3.7% -5.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.5% 33.4% 3.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -28.6% 4.8% -18.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 7.7% 35.4% 6.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -28.5% 7.1% -19.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 10.2% 35.8% 6.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 8.8% 42.8% 16.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.0% -18.1% 1.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 10.0% 68.6% -13.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.1% -18.0% -8.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCLMMMKMB
Gross margin 60.6% 39.5% 36.8%
EBITDA margin 17.9% 24.4% 19.5%
Operating margin 14.8% 18.8% 15.2%
Pretax margin 13.9% 17.5% 13.5%
Net margin 9.6% 14.0% 11.8%
FCF margin 17.8% 10.6% 11.0%
Operating cash flow margin 20.5% 14.4% 20.1%
Return on equity 360.5% 101.3% 105.0%
Return on assets 13.0% 9.8% 11.1%
Return on invested capital 27.6% 22.0% 19.4%
Return on capital employed 31.2% 18.7% 23.1%
Asset turnover 1.3x 0.7x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 1.0x 1.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 0.8% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCLMMMKMB
Debt / assets 46.1% 37.9% 35.1%
Debt / equity 12.1x 3.6x 3.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.6x 1.6x 1.7x
Debt / FCF 2.0x 5.6x 3.6x
Liabilities / assets 96.2% 89.5% 89.9%
Equity / assets 3.8% 10.5% 10.1%
Interest coverage 12.6x – 10.7x
Current ratio 1.0x 1.4x 0.9x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.8x 0.4x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.4x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 7.00 4.14 3.29

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCLMMMKMB
Dividend yield 2.2% 1.7% 4.9%
Net buyback yield 1.5% 3.0% 0.0%
Shareholder yield 3.7% 4.7% 4.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) 84.2% 44.8% 84.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) 48.3% 59.9% 92.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) 0.9% 3.2% 2.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.9% -21.4% –

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.

ConsensusCLMMMKMB
Forward P/E 25.5xFY2026 19.9xFY2026 13.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.75FY2026 $8.88FY2026 $7.64FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1.6%FY2026 +10.2%FY2026 +1.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.7% +16.7% -8.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $22.42BFY2026 $23.87BFY2026 $16.99BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.0%FY2026 -1.8%FY2026 +3.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.1% +17.6% +5.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCLMMMKMB
Held by institutions 83.8% 74.5% 96.8%
Institutions holding 2,019 2,212 1,715
Change in shares held, QoQ 0.0% +0.8% +9.1%
Institutions buying 921 916 831
Institutions selling 722 839 621
Buyers to sellers 1.28 1.09 1.34

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.

CLMMMKMB
CL 1.00 0.25 0.64
MMM 0.25 1.00 0.34
KMB 0.64 0.34 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CL, MMM and KMB?

3M (MMM) is the largest by market capitalisation: Colgate Palmolive (CL) $78.67B, 3M (MMM) $100.34B, Kimberly Clark (KMB) $36.16B.

Which stock is cheaper, CL, MMM and KMB?

Kimberly Clark (KMB) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Colgate Palmolive (CL) 38.3x, 3M (MMM) 28.4x, Kimberly Clark (KMB) 18.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kimberly Clark (KMB) is cheapest (Colgate Palmolive (CL) 25.5x, 3M (MMM) 19.9x, Kimberly Clark (KMB) 13.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Colgate Palmolive (CL) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Colgate Palmolive (CL) +5.9%, 3M (MMM) +1.7%, Kimberly Clark (KMB) +0.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

3M (MMM) has the highest net margin (Colgate Palmolive (CL) 9.6%, 3M (MMM) 14.0%, Kimberly Clark (KMB) 11.8%). On return on invested capital, Colgate Palmolive (CL) leads (Colgate Palmolive (CL) 27.6%, 3M (MMM) 22.0%, Kimberly Clark (KMB) 19.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Colgate Palmolive (CL) returned the most: Colgate Palmolive (CL) +27.5%, 3M (MMM) +9.2%, Kimberly Clark (KMB) +2.1%. Over five years, Colgate Palmolive (CL) compounded fastest (Colgate Palmolive (CL) +4.3%/yr, 3M (MMM) +3.2%/yr, Kimberly Clark (KMB) -4.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Kimberly Clark (KMB) has the highest dividend yield: Colgate Palmolive (CL) 0.02%, 3M (MMM) 0.02%, Kimberly Clark (KMB) 0.05%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Colgate Palmolive (CL) has been the steadiest (Colgate Palmolive (CL) 23.3%, 3M (MMM) 25.7%, Kimberly Clark (KMB) 24.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CL, MMM and KMB?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Colgate Palmolive (CL) leads on 6. 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.