ECL vs ESI vs GLW Stock Comparison

Ecolab, Element Solutions and Corning Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ECL Ecolab Inc.
$300.86 +8.3% 1M +16.9% 1Y
Market cap
$84.73B
P/E
40.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.37B
Div. yield
0.01%
Water Treatment Industrials
3 wins
ESI Element Solutions Inc
$35.39 -1.6% 1M +33.9% 1Y
Market cap
$8.23B
P/E
40.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.49B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Chemicals Basic Materials
3 wins
GLW Corning Inc /Ny
$128.89 -18.8% 1M +42.8% 1Y
Market cap
$105.88B
P/E
49.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.72B
Div. yield
0.01%
Specialty Chemicals Basic Materials
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionECLESIGLWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $84.73B $8.23B $105.88B GLW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 40.7x 40.1x 49.2x ESI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 38.1x 20.6x 37.4x ESI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.3% +39.6% +18.8% ESI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.0% 5.9% 12.1% GLW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.0% 5.4% 11.0% GLW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.1x 3.2x 1.3x GLW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.01% ECL
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +16.9% +33.9% +42.8% GLW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.3%/yr +9.3%/yr +29.4%/yr GLW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 21.2% 47.0% 74.5% ECL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 64/100 48/100 59/100 ECL

Percentile Scorecard

ECLESIGLW

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

AxisECLESIGLW
Valuation 50 #11 of 21 38 #59 of 94 23 #73 of 94
Growth 83 #4 of 19 75 #24 of 92 96 #5 of 92
Profitability 93 #2 of 16 58 #37 of 86 85 #14 of 86
Financial Health 25 #16 of 21 42 #54 of 93 60 #38 of 93
Shareholder Returns 67 #4 of 10 29 #51 of 71 33 #48 of 71
Overall 64 48 59
  • ECL ranked among 22 companies in Environmental Equipment
  • ESI ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • GLW ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodECLESIGLWSPY
1 month +8.3%-1.6%-18.8% +0.7%
3 months +7.7%-0.6%-4.8% +3.7%
6 months +15.4%-16.9%-21.5% +7.1%
Year to date +14.6%+41.6%+47.2% +12.8%
1 year +16.9%+33.9%+42.8% +11.9%
3 years +89.0%+94.5%+383.5% +85.2%
3 years, per year +23.7%+24.8%+69.2% +22.8%
5 years +35.4%+55.8%+262.4% +67.6%
5 years, per year +6.3%+9.3%+29.4% +10.9%
10 years +161.4%+391.5%+468.3% +262.0%
10 years, per year +10.1%+17.3%+19.0% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureECLESIGLWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 21.2%47.0%74.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.4%47.4%75.3% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.482.193.03 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.790.720.57 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.3%-40.3%-51.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.4%-27.9%-49.6% -1.2%
52-week high $308.35$49.09$255.69 $779.14
52-week low $245.73$22.99$78.03 $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.

MultipleECLESIGLW
P/E now vs peer median 40.5xmedian 25.4x 42.0xmedian 21.0x 51.7xmedian 21.0x
P/S now vs peer median 4.9xmedian 2.5x 2.5xmedian 1.4x 6.3xmedian 1.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.3xmedian 17.9x 18.1xmedian 12.9x 26.5xmedian 12.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 47.0xmedian 22.3x 46.9xmedian 15.5x 45.1xmedian 15.5x
P/B now vs peer median 8.1xmedian 1.8x 3.0xmedian 1.7x 7.8xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 2.04median 1.73 0.75median 1.68 0.97median 1.68

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 monthsECLESIGLW
Revenue $17.37B $3.49B $17.72B
Gross profit $7.63B $1.28B $6.46B
Operating income $2.90B $408.70M $2.92B
Net income $2.10B $205.20M $2.35B
Free cash flow $1.80B $182.90M $2.46B
R&D – $80.00M $1.18B
EPS (diluted) $7.38 $0.84 $2.47
Cash & equivalents $722.30M $224.90M $2.54B
Total debt $13.19B $2.08B $8.23B
Shares (diluted) 282.10M 243.70M 871.00M
Enterprise value $77.70B $7.01B $97.56B

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
MetricECLESIGLW
P/E 40.5x 42.0x 51.7x
P/FCF 47.0x 46.9x 45.1x
P/Operating cash flow 27.9x 30.3x 26.5x
P/S 4.9x 2.5x 6.3x
P/B 8.1x 3.0x 7.8x
P/Tangible book 15.8x 4.5x 8.1x
EV/EBITDA 24.3x 18.1x 26.5x
EV/EBIT 33.4x 25.6x 40.0x
EV/Revenue 5.6x 3.0x 6.6x
EV/FCF 54.0x 57.1x 47.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 32.0x 36.9x 27.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.04 0.75 0.97

Growth

14 metrics
MetricECLESIGLW
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.3% 39.6% 18.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 14.4% 10.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.4% 21.5% 21.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.8% 11.7% 18.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 11.3% 17.6% 46.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 17.2% 31.9% 48.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 4.7% -14.4% 57.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 18.8% 56.0% 53.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 6.2% -15.0% 56.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.8% 55.8% 53.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 15.2% -16.0% 85.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.8% -4.2% 30.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 15.6% -32.2% 111.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.8% -12.3% 84.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricECLESIGLW
Gross margin 43.9% 36.6% 36.5%
EBITDA margin 22.9% 16.6% 24.9%
Operating margin 16.7% 11.7% 16.5%
Pretax margin 15.0% 9.0% 15.9%
Net margin 12.0% 5.9% 12.1%
FCF margin 10.3% 5.2% 13.9%
Operating cash flow margin 17.4% 8.1% 23.7%
Return on equity 20.4% 7.2% 17.1%
Return on assets 6.9% 3.5% 7.0%
Return on invested capital 10.0% 5.4% 11.0%
Return on capital employed 12.0% 7.8% 10.8%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.6x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.4x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 2.4% 2.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricECLESIGLW
Debt / assets 42.4% 35.5% 24.1%
Debt / equity 1.3x 0.7x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.1x 3.2x 1.3x
Debt / FCF 7.3x 11.4x 3.3x
Liabilities / assets 66.4% 50.7% 58.1%
Equity / assets 33.6% 49.3% 41.9%
Interest coverage 8.0x – 8.0x
Current ratio 1.1x 2.8x 1.7x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.7x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.4x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 3.96 2.58 5.04

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricECLESIGLW
Dividend yield 1.0% 0.9% 0.9%
Net buyback yield 1.1% 0.5% -0.5%
Shareholder yield 2.1% 1.4% 0.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) 39.0% – 43.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) 45.6% – 41.1%
Dividend growth (1Y) 12.7% – 1.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 9.7% – 1.2%

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.

ConsensusECLESIGLW
Forward P/E 38.1xFY2026 20.6xFY2026 37.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.90FY2026 $1.72FY2026 $3.45FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.9%FY2026 +15.4%FY2026 +36.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +23.2% +33.7% +24.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $17.26BFY2026 $3.86BFY2026 $18.34BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.3%FY2026 +51.4%FY2026 +11.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.4% +2.3% +31.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersECLESIGLW
Held by institutions 80.0% 100.0% 73.0%
Institutions holding 1,712 500 2,684
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.4% +0.7% +3.5%
Institutions buying 764 270 1,477
Institutions selling 679 176 950
Buyers to sellers 1.13 1.53 1.55

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.

ECLESIGLW
ECL 1.00 0.16 0.02
ESI 0.16 1.00 0.56
GLW 0.02 0.56 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ECL, ESI and GLW?

Corning (GLW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ecolab (ECL) $84.73B, Element Solutions (ESI) $8.23B, Corning (GLW) $105.88B.

Which stock is cheaper, ECL, ESI and GLW?

Element Solutions (ESI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ecolab (ECL) 40.7x, Element Solutions (ESI) 40.1x, Corning (GLW) 49.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Element Solutions (ESI) is cheapest (Ecolab (ECL) 38.1x, Element Solutions (ESI) 20.6x, Corning (GLW) 37.4x). 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: Ecolab (ECL) +9.3%, Element Solutions (ESI) +39.6%, Corning (GLW) +18.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Corning (GLW) has the highest net margin (Ecolab (ECL) 12.0%, Element Solutions (ESI) 5.9%, Corning (GLW) 12.1%). On return on invested capital, Corning (GLW) leads (Ecolab (ECL) 10.0%, Element Solutions (ESI) 5.4%, Corning (GLW) 11.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Corning (GLW) returned the most: Ecolab (ECL) +16.9%, Element Solutions (ESI) +33.9%, Corning (GLW) +42.8%. Over five years, Corning (GLW) compounded fastest (Ecolab (ECL) +6.3%/yr, Element Solutions (ESI) +9.3%/yr, Corning (GLW) +29.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Ecolab (ECL) has the highest dividend yield: Ecolab (ECL) 0.01%, Element Solutions (ESI) 0.00%, Corning (GLW) 0.01%. Element Solutions (ESI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ecolab (ECL) has been the steadiest (Ecolab (ECL) 21.2%, Element Solutions (ESI) 47.0%, Corning (GLW) 74.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ECL, ESI and GLW?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Corning (GLW) 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.