CLX vs MMM vs CL Stock Comparison

Clorox, 3M and Colgate Palmolive Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CLX Clorox Co /De/
$87.37 +4.3% 1M -24.4% 1Y
Market cap
$10.57B
P/E
18.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.72B
Div. yield
4.27%
Household Products Consumer Staples
3 wins
MMM 3M Co
$171.62 +1.2% 1M +1.9% 1Y
Market cap
$88.68B
P/E
25.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.25B
Div. yield
1.79%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
3 wins
CL Colgate Palmolive Co
$92.19 +7.1% 1M +18.5% 1Y
Market cap
$73.49B
P/E
36.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$21.05B
Div. yield
2.29%
Personal Care Products Consumer Staples
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionCLXMMMCLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $10.57B $88.68B $73.49B MMM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.1x 25.2x 36.2x CLX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.7x 19.3x 24.6x CLX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -5.4% +1.7% +5.2% CL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.7% 14.0% 9.7% MMM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 26.6% 22.0% 27.2% CL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.6x 1.7x MMM
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 4.27% 1.79% 2.29% CLX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -24.4% +1.9% +18.5% CL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -11.6%/yr +2.7%/yr +3.7%/yr CL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.7% 25.6% 23.3% CL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 52/100 49/100 61/100 CL

Percentile Scorecard

CLXMMMCL

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

AxisCLXMMMCL
Valuation 67 #18 of 52 37 #128 of 203 49 #27 of 52
Growth 37 #32 of 50 59 #77 of 188 57 #22 of 50
Profitability 80 #10 of 45 89 #21 of 183 96 #3 of 45
Financial Health 18 #46 of 56 19 #177 of 217 51 #28 of 56
Shareholder Returns 57 #14 of 31 42 #89 of 153 53 #15 of 31
Overall 52 49 61
  • CLX ranked among 60 companies in Household and Personal Products
  • MMM ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • CL ranked among 60 companies in Household and Personal Products

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCLXMMMCLSPY
1 month +4.3%+1.2%+7.1% -0.2%
3 months -12.9%-5.9%-0.6% +3.9%
6 months -9.6%+17.5%+7.6% +8.2%
Year to date -13.3%+7.2%+16.7% +12.9%
1 year -24.4%+1.9%+18.5% +12.3%
3 years -25.9%+134.5%+28.4% +87.4%
3 years, per year -9.5%+32.9%+8.7% +23.3%
5 years -46.0%+14.1%+19.9% +67.9%
5 years, per year -11.6%+2.7%+3.7% +10.9%
10 years -25.9%+23.8%+30.6% +261.1%
10 years, per year -3.0%+2.2%+2.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCLXMMMCLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.7%25.6%23.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 35.9%24.6%22.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.290.69-0.15 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.740.070.79 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -56.9%-53.4%-31.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -31.3%-6.6%-7.0% -1.2%
52-week high $127.16$183.81$99.14 $779.14
52-week low $80.38$141.20$74.98 $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.

MultipleCLXMMMCL
P/E now vs peer median 18.1xmedian 18.5x 25.2xmedian 25.2x 36.2xmedian 18.5x
P/S now vs peer median 1.6xmedian 1.6x 3.5xmedian 1.9x 3.5xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.1xmedian 12.9x 16.0xmedian 14.0x 21.2xmedian 12.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.1xmedian 18.6x 33.1xmedian 21.7x 19.0xmedian 18.6x
P/B now vs peer median 41.9xmedian 2.2x 21.3xmedian 2.3x 129.8xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.31median 0.97 0.70median 1.32 2.98median 0.97

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 monthsCLXMMMCL
Revenue $6.72B $25.25B $21.05B
Gross profit $2.84B $9.98B $12.72B
Operating income $1.66B $4.74B $3.13B
Net income $601.00M $3.58B $2.16B
Free cash flow $405.00M $2.68B $3.86B
R&D $116.00M $1.21B –
EPS (diluted) $4.81 $6.77 $2.54
Cash & equivalents $143.00M $4.84B $1.37B
Total debt $5.07B $15.00B $7.86B
Shares (diluted) 122.13M 522.60M 801.80M
Enterprise value $9.00B $71.10B $68.55B

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
MetricCLXMMMCL
P/E 18.1x 25.2x 36.2x
P/FCF 26.1x 33.1x 19.0x
P/Operating cash flow 17.3x 24.4x 16.5x
P/S 1.6x 3.5x 3.5x
P/B 41.9x 21.3x 129.8x
P/Tangible book -29.8x 41.9x -79.1x
EV/EBITDA 8.1x 16.0x 21.2x
EV/EBIT 9.3x 20.8x 25.5x
EV/Revenue 2.3x 3.9x 3.8x
EV/FCF 38.2x 36.8x 20.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.3x 27.2x 17.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.31 0.70 2.98

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCLXMMMCL
Revenue growth (1Y) -5.4% 1.7% 5.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -3.1% 10.7% 4.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -11.5% -1.8% 5.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -0.7% 17.0% 6.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) -15.5% -3.7% -26.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 1.6% 33.4% 1.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -27.1% 4.8% -29.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 53.6% 35.4% 8.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -26.3% 7.1% -29.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 58.8% 35.8% 12.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -37.6% 42.8% 13.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -19.1% -18.1% 12.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -46.8% 68.6% 14.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -24.2% -18.0% 17.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCLXMMMCL
Gross margin 42.3% 39.5% 60.4%
EBITDA margin 28.4% 24.4% 17.9%
Operating margin 24.7% 18.8% 14.9%
Pretax margin 11.8% 17.5% 14.0%
Net margin 8.7% 14.0% 9.7%
FCF margin 6.0% 10.6% 18.3%
Operating cash flow margin 9.1% 14.4% 21.2%
Return on equity 349.4% 101.3% 410.8%
Return on assets 8.4% 9.8% 12.9%
Return on invested capital 26.6% 22.0% 27.2%
Return on capital employed 38.3% 18.7% 29.7%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.7x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.0x 1.0x 2.1x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% 0.8% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCLXMMMCL
Debt / assets 65.0% 37.9% 46.8%
Debt / equity 20.1x 3.6x 13.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.6x 1.7x
Debt / FCF 12.5x 5.6x 2.0x
Liabilities / assets 96.8% 89.5% 96.6%
Equity / assets 3.2% 10.5% 3.4%
Interest coverage 12.8x – 12.3x
Current ratio 0.7x 1.4x 1.0x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.4x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 2.33 4.09 6.86

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCLXMMMCL
Dividend yield 4.3% 1.8% 2.3%
Net buyback yield 2.6% 3.1% 1.5%
Shareholder yield 6.9% 4.9% 3.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) 100.2% 44.8% 84.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) 148.6% 59.9% 47.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) 0.0% 3.2% 1.1%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.1% -21.4% 1.9%

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.

ConsensusCLXMMMCL
Forward P/E 14.7xFY2027 19.3xFY2026 24.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.94FY2027 $8.88FY2026 $3.75FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +7.4%FY2027 +10.2%FY2026 +1.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -1.3% +16.7% +11.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.09BFY2027 $23.87BFY2026 $22.42BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +20.4%FY2027 -1.8%FY2026 +10.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -8.6% +17.6% +2.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCLXMMMCL
Held by institutions 85.6% 74.5% 83.8%
Institutions holding 1,053 2,209 2,015
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.2% +0.8% 0.0%
Institutions buying 542 915 919
Institutions selling 353 837 720
Buyers to sellers 1.54 1.09 1.28

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.

CLXMMMCL
CLX 1.00 0.40 0.53
MMM 0.40 1.00 0.26
CL 0.53 0.26 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CLX, MMM and CL?

3M (MMM) is the largest by market capitalisation: Clorox (CLX) $10.57B, 3M (MMM) $88.68B, Colgate Palmolive (CL) $73.49B.

Which stock is cheaper, CLX, MMM and CL?

Clorox (CLX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Clorox (CLX) 18.1x, 3M (MMM) 25.2x, Colgate Palmolive (CL) 36.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Clorox (CLX) is cheapest (Clorox (CLX) 14.7x, 3M (MMM) 19.3x, Colgate Palmolive (CL) 24.6x). 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: Clorox (CLX) -5.4%, 3M (MMM) +1.7%, Colgate Palmolive (CL) +5.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

3M (MMM) has the highest net margin (Clorox (CLX) 8.7%, 3M (MMM) 14.0%, Colgate Palmolive (CL) 9.7%). On return on invested capital, Colgate Palmolive (CL) leads (Clorox (CLX) 26.6%, 3M (MMM) 22.0%, Colgate Palmolive (CL) 27.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Colgate Palmolive (CL) returned the most: Clorox (CLX) -24.4%, 3M (MMM) +1.9%, Colgate Palmolive (CL) +18.5%. Over five years, Colgate Palmolive (CL) compounded fastest (Clorox (CLX) -11.6%/yr, 3M (MMM) +2.7%/yr, Colgate Palmolive (CL) +3.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Clorox (CLX) has the highest dividend yield: Clorox (CLX) 4.27%, 3M (MMM) 1.79%, Colgate Palmolive (CL) 2.29%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Colgate Palmolive (CL) has been the steadiest (Clorox (CLX) 32.7%, 3M (MMM) 25.6%, Colgate Palmolive (CL) 23.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.