ECL vs IDXX vs BLGO Stock Comparison

Ecolab, Idexx Laboratories and Biolargo Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ECL Ecolab Inc.
$291.28 +4.1% 1M +4.1% 1Y
Market cap
$81.65B
P/E
39.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.37B
Div. yield
1.00%
Water Treatment Industrials
4 wins
BLGO Biolargo, Inc.
$0.07 -22.2% 1M -58.8% 1Y
Market cap
$23.01M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$4.08M
Div. yield
–
Water Treatment Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Idexx Laboratories leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Idexx Laboratories 5, Ecolab 4, Biolargo 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionECLIDXXBLGOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $81.65B $44.27B $23.01M ECL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.3x 38.9x -1.6x IDXX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 36.9x 35.9x — IDXX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.3% +12.8% -70.9% IDXX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months — 25.0% -354.8% IDXX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 45.6% — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 0.5x -0.2x BLGO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.00% — — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +4.1% -13.3% -58.8% ECL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.7%/yr -3.0%/yr -16.3%/yr ECL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 21.9% 32.1% 91.7% ECL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 77/100 12/100 IDXX

Percentile Scorecard

ECLIDXXBLGO

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

AxisECLIDXXBLGO
Valuation 35 #14 of 21 75 #159 of 625 10 #19 of 21
Growth 83 #4 of 19 76 #148 of 602 0 #19 of 19
Profitability 81 #4 of 17 97 #18 of 551 6 #16 of 17
Financial Health 19 #18 of 22 47 #349 of 656 10 #20 of 22
Shareholder Returns – 93 #26 of 365 33 #7 of 10
Overall 55 77 12
  • ECL ranked among 22 companies in Environmental Equipment
  • IDXX ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • BLGO ranked among 22 companies in Environmental Equipment

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodECLIDXXBLGOSPY
1 month +4.1%+8.1%-22.2% -0.2%
3 months +2.8%-1.5%-30.0% +3.9%
6 months +9.1%-1.2%-56.3% +8.2%
Year to date +11.0%-17.0%-61.1% +12.9%
1 year +4.1%-13.3%-58.8% +12.3%
3 years +85.0%+43.4%-56.3% +87.4%
3 years, per year +22.8%+12.8%-24.1% +23.3%
5 years +31.8%-14.1%-58.8% +67.9%
5 years, per year +5.7%-3.0%-16.3% +10.9%
10 years +153.4%+435.0%-90.3% +261.1%
10 years, per year +9.7%+18.3%-20.8% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureECLIDXXBLGOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 21.9%32.1%91.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 22.0%31.2%135.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.480.790.23 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.19-0.41-0.64 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.3%-51.3%-82.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -5.5%-26.8%-65.0% -1.2%
52-week high $308.35$766.68$0.20 $779.14
52-week low $245.73$504.70$0.07 $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.

MultipleECLIDXXBLGO
P/E now vs peer median 39.3xmedian 25.6x 38.9xmedian 17.2x -1.6xmedian 25.6x
P/S now vs peer median 4.7xmedian 2.4x 9.7xmedian 9.0x 5.6xmedian 2.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 16.7x 27.9xmedian 16.3x -1.4xmedian 16.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 41.5xmedian 23.6x 35.3xmedian 18.7x -2.2xmedian 23.6x
P/B now vs peer median 7.8xmedian 2.0x 27.5xmedian 2.2x -8.4xmedian 2.0x
PEG now vs peer median 1.98median 1.68 2.58median 0.33 —median 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 monthsECLIDXXBLGO
Revenue $17.37B $4.55B $4.08M
Gross profit – $2.84B $1.63M
Operating income $2.90B $1.46B -$18.12M
Net income – $1.14B -$18.79M
Free cash flow – $1.25B -$10.56M
R&D – $261.47M $3.27M
EPS (diluted) $7.38 $14.37 –
Cash & equivalents $722.30M $196.93M $2.19M
Total debt – $968.86M $4.85M
Shares (diluted) 282.20M 79.31M –
Enterprise value $81.68B $43.48B $7.39M

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
MetricECLIDXXBLGO
P/E 39.3x 38.9x -1.6x
P/FCF 41.5x 35.3x -2.2x
P/Operating cash flow – 32.3x -2.2x
P/S 4.7x 9.7x 5.6x
P/B 7.8x 27.5x -8.4x
P/Tangible book 15.2x 29.2x -8.4x
EV/EBITDA – 27.9x -1.4x
EV/EBIT – 30.9x -1.4x
EV/Revenue 4.7x 9.9x 6.3x
EV/FCF – 35.9x -2.4x
EV/Operating cash flow – 32.8x -2.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.98 2.58 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricECLIDXXBLGO
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.3% 12.8% -70.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 9.0% -22.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 14.4% -74.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 10.5% -27.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 11.3% 16.2% -185.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 17.2% 11.7% -60.3%
Net income growth (1Y) – 15.6% -184.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) – 12.9% -62.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 6.1% 18.1% –
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.8% 15.1% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) – 51.4% -37.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 22.5% -62.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – 59.9% -40.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 28.4% -57.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricECLIDXXBLGO
Gross margin – 62.4% 40.0%
EBITDA margin – 35.4% -434.2%
Operating margin – 32.0% -443.9%
Pretax margin – 31.3% -458.1%
Net margin – 25.0% -354.8%
FCF margin – 27.5% -258.6%
Operating cash flow margin – 30.1% -252.8%
Return on equity 20.4% 71.9% –
Return on assets 6.9% 33.4% -246.7%
Return on invested capital – 45.6% –
Return on capital employed – 68.6% -635.4%
Asset turnover 0.6x 1.3x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) – 1.2x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue – 1.4% 59.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricECLIDXXBLGO
Debt / assets – 28.1% 72.8%
Debt / equity – 0.6x -1.8x
Net debt / EBITDA – 0.5x -0.2x
Debt / FCF – 0.8x -0.5x
Liabilities / assets 66.4% 53.2% 140.9%
Equity / assets 33.6% 46.8% -40.9%
Interest coverage – 38.6x -22.5x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.2x 0.7x
Quick ratio – 0.7x 0.6x
Cash ratio – 0.2x 0.5x
Altman Z-score – 20.16 -42.03

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricECLIDXXBLGO
Dividend yield 1.0% – –
Net buyback yield – 2.4% -2.5%
Shareholder yield 1.0% 2.4% -2.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

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.

ConsensusECLIDXXBLGO
Forward P/E 36.9xFY2026 35.9xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $7.90FY2026 $15.63FY2026 $-0.05FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.9%FY2026 +19.5%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +23.2% +12.9% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $17.26BFY2026 $5.00BFY2026 $5.48MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.3%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026 -29.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.4% +0.6% +180.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersECLIDXXBLGO
Held by institutions 80.0% 93.6% –
Institutions holding 1,710 1,289 –
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.4% +4.1% –
Institutions buying 762 587 –
Institutions selling 679 496 –
Buyers to sellers 1.12 1.18 –

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.

ECLIDXXBLGO
ECL 1.00 0.45 0.03
IDXX 0.45 1.00 0.11
BLGO 0.03 0.11 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ECL, IDXX and BLGO?

Ecolab (ECL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ecolab (ECL) $81.65B, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) $44.27B, Biolargo (BLGO) $23.01M.

Which stock is cheaper, ECL, IDXX and BLGO?

Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ecolab (ECL) 39.3x, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 38.9x, Biolargo (BLGO) -1.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) is cheapest (Ecolab (ECL) 36.9x, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 35.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Ecolab (ECL) +9.3%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) +12.8%, Biolargo (BLGO) -70.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) has the highest net margin (Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 25.0%, Biolargo (BLGO) -354.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ecolab (ECL) returned the most: Ecolab (ECL) +4.1%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) -13.3%, Biolargo (BLGO) -58.8%. Over five years, Ecolab (ECL) compounded fastest (Ecolab (ECL) +5.7%/yr, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) -3.0%/yr, Biolargo (BLGO) -16.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Ecolab (ECL) 1.00%. Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) and Biolargo (BLGO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ecolab (ECL) has been the steadiest (Ecolab (ECL) 21.9%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 32.1%, Biolargo (BLGO) 91.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ECL, IDXX and BLGO?

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