ECL vs IDXX vs VLTO Stock Comparison

Ecolab, Idexx Laboratories and Veralto Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ECL Ecolab Inc.
$288.57 +4.3% 1M +4.9% 1Y
Market cap
$81.05B
P/E
38.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.84B
Div. yield
0.01%
Water Treatment Industrials
4 wins
VLTO Veralto Corp
$104.35 +8.8% 1M -0.5% 1Y
Market cap
$25.32B
P/E
25.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.70B
Div. yield
–
Water Treatment Industrials
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Idexx Laboratories leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Idexx Laboratories 5, Ecolab 4, Veralto 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionECLIDXXVLTOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $81.05B $45.01B $25.32B ECL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 38.3x 39.5x 25.6x VLTO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 36.5x 35.9x 23.0x VLTO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.1% +12.8% +6.2% IDXX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.6% 25.0% 17.3% IDXX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.0% 45.6% 17.4% IDXX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.1x 0.5x 0.9x IDXX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +4.9% -12.2% -0.5% ECL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.4%/yr -3.0%/yr — ECL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 21.9% 32.0% 23.5% ECL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 66/100 77/100 75/100 IDXX

Percentile Scorecard

ECLIDXXVLTO

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

AxisECLIDXXVLTO
Valuation 50 #11 of 21 75 #159 of 624 80 #5 of 21
Growth 83 #4 of 19 75 #149 of 603 72 #6 of 19
Profitability 88 #3 of 17 97 #17 of 555 100 #1 of 17
Financial Health 48 #12 of 22 46 #355 of 657 52 #11 of 22
Shareholder Returns 60 #5 of 11 93 #27 of 370 70 #4 of 11
Overall 66 77 75
  • ECL ranked among 22 companies in Environmental Equipment
  • IDXX ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • VLTO ranked among 22 companies in Environmental Equipment

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodECLIDXXVLTOSPY
1 month +4.3%+7.3%+8.8% -1.0%
3 months +7.4%+3.0%+13.3% +2.9%
6 months +7.1%-1.0%+17.7% +6.4%
Year to date +9.9%-17.2%+4.6% +11.4%
1 year +4.9%-12.2%-0.5% +13.1%
3 years +80.1%+30.1%+44.9% +79.4%
3 years, per year +21.7%+9.2%+13.2% +21.5%
5 years +30.3%-14.0%— +67.7%
5 years, per year +5.4%-3.0%— +10.9%
10 years +149.2%+407.2%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +9.6%+17.6%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureECLIDXXVLTOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 21.9%32.0%23.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 22.0%31.3%22.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.480.800.23 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.23-0.38-0.02 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.3%-51.3%-27.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.4%-26.9%-0.5% -2.5%
52-week high $308.35$766.68$104.87 $779.14
52-week low $245.73$504.70$82.23 $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.

MultipleECLIDXXVLTO
P/E now vs peer median 38.3xmedian 25.9x 38.8xmedian 17.2x 25.9xmedian 25.9x
P/S now vs peer median 4.8xmedian 2.5x 9.7xmedian 8.8x 4.5xmedian 2.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 22.9xmedian 19.3x 27.9xmedian 16.0x 19.3xmedian 19.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 43.2xmedian 25.4x 35.2xmedian 17.8x 24.3xmedian 25.4x
P/B now vs peer median 8.0xmedian 2.0x 27.4xmedian 2.1x 8.2xmedian 2.0x
PEG now vs peer median 1.72median 1.53 2.57median 0.32 5.78median 1.53

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 monthsECLIDXXVLTO
Revenue $16.84B $4.55B $5.70B
Gross profit $7.43B $2.84B $3.43B
Operating income $2.85B $1.46B $1.30B
Net income $2.13B $1.14B $988.00M
Free cash flow $1.87B $1.25B $1.05B
R&D – $261.47M $276.00M
EPS (diluted) $7.50 $14.37 $4.02
Cash & equivalents $5.14B $196.93M $2.12B
Total debt $38.40B $4.03B $3.38B
Shares (diluted) 282.20M 79.31M 245.80M
Enterprise value $72.79B $44.23B $17.96B

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
MetricECLIDXXVLTO
P/E 38.3x 38.8x 25.9x
P/FCF 43.2x 35.2x 24.3x
P/Operating cash flow 26.5x 32.2x 23.1x
P/S 4.8x 9.7x 4.5x
P/B 8.0x 27.4x 8.2x
P/Tangible book 12.2x 29.2x 11.2x
EV/EBITDA 22.9x 27.9x 19.3x
EV/EBIT 31.2x 30.8x 20.7x
EV/Revenue 5.3x 9.9x 4.7x
EV/FCF 47.4x 35.9x 25.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 29.1x 32.8x 24.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.72 2.57 5.78

Growth

14 metrics
MetricECLIDXXVLTO
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.1% 12.8% 6.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 9.0% 4.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.5% 14.4% 6.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.4% 10.5% 6.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -1.4% 16.2% 3.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 18.4% 11.7% 3.7%
Net income growth (1Y) -1.0% 15.6% 10.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 21.3% 12.9% 4.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 0.2% 18.1% 12.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 22.3% 15.1% 4.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 16.5% 51.4% 9.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.9% 22.5% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 19.1% 59.9% 11.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.2% 28.4% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricECLIDXXVLTO
Gross margin 44.1% 62.4% 60.2%
EBITDA margin 23.1% 35.4% 24.4%
Operating margin 16.9% 32.0% 22.7%
Pretax margin 15.6% 31.3% 21.2%
Net margin 12.6% 25.0% 17.3%
FCF margin 11.1% 27.5% 18.4%
Operating cash flow margin 18.1% 30.1% 19.4%
Return on equity 21.2% 71.9% 32.4%
Return on assets 7.8% 33.4% 12.2%
Return on invested capital 11.0% 45.6% 17.4%
Return on capital employed 13.3% 68.6% 21.4%
Asset turnover 0.6x 1.3x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.2x 1.1x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 1.4% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricECLIDXXVLTO
Debt / assets 44.0% 28.1% 39.5%
Debt / equity 1.3x 0.6x 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.1x 0.5x 0.9x
Debt / FCF 7.0x 0.8x 3.2x
Liabilities / assets 66.3% 53.2% 63.8%
Equity / assets 33.7% 46.8% 36.2%
Interest coverage 17.6x 38.6x 14.1x
Current ratio 1.8x 1.2x 1.8x
Quick ratio 1.5x 0.7x 1.5x
Cash ratio 0.9x 0.2x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 4.15 20.14 4.54

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricECLIDXXVLTO
Dividend yield 1.0% – 0.5%
Net buyback yield 1.3% 2.4% 1.6%
Shareholder yield 2.3% 2.4% 2.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 37.4% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 42.6% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 13.4% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 9.3% – –

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.

ConsensusECLIDXXVLTO
Forward P/E 36.5xFY2026 35.9xFY2026 23.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.90FY2026 $15.62FY2026 $4.54FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +4.9%FY2026 +19.4%FY2026 +16.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +23.3% +13.0% +8.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $17.24BFY2026 $5.00BFY2026 $5.70BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.2%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026 +3.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.4% +0.6% +16.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersECLIDXXVLTO
Held by institutions 80.0% 93.6% 96.1%
Institutions holding 1,710 1,289 974
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.4% +4.1% +3.3%
Institutions buying 762 587 399
Institutions selling 679 496 384
Buyers to sellers 1.12 1.18 1.04

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.

ECLIDXXVLTO
ECL 1.00 0.46 0.34
IDXX 0.46 1.00 0.36
VLTO 0.34 0.36 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ECL, IDXX and VLTO?

Ecolab (ECL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ecolab (ECL) $81.05B, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) $45.01B, Veralto (VLTO) $25.32B.

Which stock is cheaper, ECL, IDXX and VLTO?

Veralto (VLTO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ecolab (ECL) 38.3x, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 39.5x, Veralto (VLTO) 25.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Veralto (VLTO) is cheapest (Ecolab (ECL) 36.5x, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 35.9x, Veralto (VLTO) 23.0x). 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) +7.1%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) +12.8%, Veralto (VLTO) +6.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) has the highest net margin (Ecolab (ECL) 12.6%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 25.0%, Veralto (VLTO) 17.3%). On return on invested capital, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) leads (Ecolab (ECL) 11.0%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 45.6%, Veralto (VLTO) 17.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ecolab (ECL) returned the most: Ecolab (ECL) +4.9%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) -12.2%, Veralto (VLTO) -0.5%. Over five years, Ecolab (ECL) compounded fastest (Ecolab (ECL) +5.4%/yr, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) -3.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Ecolab (ECL) 0.01%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 0.00%, Veralto (VLTO) 0.00%. Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) and Veralto (VLTO) 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) 32.0%, Veralto (VLTO) 23.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.