ECL vs KSCP vs NSSC Stock Comparison

Ecolab, Knightscope and Napco Security Technologies Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ECL Ecolab Inc.
$292.52 +4.3% 1M +9.0% 1Y
Market cap
$81.99B
P/E
39.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$17.37B
Div. yield
1.00%
Water Treatment Industrials
3 wins
KSCP Knightscope, Inc.
$0.52 -36.6% 1M -90.6% 1Y
Market cap
$12.28M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$20.71M
Div. yield
–
Security Services Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Napco Security Technologies leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Napco Security Technologies 6, Ecolab 3, Knightscope 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionECLKSCPNSSCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $81.99B $12.28M $1.42B ECL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.4x -0.2x 32.9x NSSC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 37.0x — 24.6x NSSC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.3% +88.0% +11.4% KSCP
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months — -217.3% 21.3% NSSC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 0.1x — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.00% — 1.54% NSSC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +9.0% -90.6% -9.9% ECL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.7%/yr — +10.6%/yr NSSC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 21.5% 109.1% 40.9% ECL
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 52/100 31/100 65/100 NSSC

Percentile Scorecard

ECLKSCPNSSC

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

AxisECLKSCPNSSC
Valuation 30 #15 of 21 21 #89 of 113 32 #77 of 113
Growth 83 #4 of 19 38 #60 of 96 79 #21 of 96
Profitability 75 #5 of 17 2 #90 of 92 100 #1 of 92
Financial Health 19 #18 of 22 61 #50 of 125 96 #6 of 125
Shareholder Returns – – 17 #56 of 67
Overall 52 31 65
  • ECL ranked among 22 companies in Environmental Equipment
  • KSCP ranked among 130 companies in Business Services
  • NSSC ranked among 130 companies in Business Services

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodECLKSCPNSSCSPY
1 month +4.3%-36.6%+13.1% +0.9%
3 months +3.0%-62.3%+9.0% +5.9%
6 months +14.0%-83.0%-12.2% +8.5%
Year to date +11.4%-86.0%-4.9% +13.3%
1 year +9.0%-90.6%-9.9% +12.4%
3 years +85.8%-98.6%+106.9% +88.1%
3 years, per year +23.0%-75.9%+27.4% +23.5%
5 years +31.6%—+65.4% +68.2%
5 years, per year +5.7%—+10.6% +11.0%
10 years +154.1%—+1,033.1% +263.4%
10 years, per year +9.8%—+27.5% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureECLKSCPNSSCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 21.5%109.1%40.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 21.2%103.5%43.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.482.691.22 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.42-0.83-0.24 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.3%-100.0%-65.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -5.1%-90.6%-16.0% -0.9%
52-week high $308.35$5.55$47.23 $779.14
52-week low $245.73$0.50$34.96 $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.

MultipleECLKSCPNSSC
P/E now vs peer median 39.4xmedian 25.5x -0.2xmedian 21.5x 32.9xmedian 21.5x
P/S now vs peer median 4.7xmedian 2.4x 0.6xmedian 0.9x 7.0xmedian 0.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 19.0x -0.2xmedian 11.9x 26.8xmedian 11.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 41.5xmedian 23.0x -0.3xmedian 13.9x 24.0xmedian 13.9x
P/B now vs peer median 7.8xmedian 2.0x 0.4xmedian 2.3x 7.4xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 1.99median 1.69 0.00median 0.92 1.85median 0.92

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 monthsECLKSCPNSSC
Revenue $17.37B $20.71M $202.32M
Gross profit – -$2.06M $119.79M
Operating income $2.90B -$44.22M $45.64M
Net income – -$45.00M $43.03M
Free cash flow – -$42.45M $59.23M
R&D – $18.98M $13.79M
EPS (diluted) $7.38 $-2.51 $1.20
Cash & equivalents $722.30M $8.20M $126.93M
Total debt – $4.39M –
Shares (diluted) 282.20M 17.93M 35.89M
Enterprise value $82.02B -$48.32M $934.92M

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
MetricECLKSCPNSSC
P/E 39.4x -0.2x 32.9x
P/FCF 41.5x -0.3x 24.0x
P/Operating cash flow – -0.3x 23.2x
P/S 4.7x 0.6x 7.0x
P/B 7.8x 0.4x 7.4x
P/Tangible book 15.3x 0.9x 7.5x
EV/EBITDA – -0.2x 26.8x
EV/EBIT – -0.2x 28.1x
EV/Revenue 4.7x 0.4x 6.3x
EV/FCF – -0.2x 21.6x
EV/Operating cash flow – -0.2x 21.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.99 0.00 1.85

Growth

14 metrics
MetricECLKSCPNSSC
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.3% 88.0% 11.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.9% 27.0% 6.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 38.7% 18.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 3.4% 17.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 11.3% -59.4% -1.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 17.2% -15.1% 14.6%
Net income growth (1Y) – -44.7% -0.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) – -23.0% 16.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 6.1% 43.5% 0.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.8% 50.8% 17.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) – -91.8% 14.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – -24.3% 35.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – -95.5% 15.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – -24.2% 39.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricECLKSCPNSSC
Gross margin – -9.9% 59.2%
EBITDA margin – -197.3% 23.6%
Operating margin – -213.5% 22.6%
Pretax margin – -217.3% 24.6%
Net margin – -217.3% 21.3%
FCF margin – -205.0% 29.3%
Operating cash flow margin – -200.8% 30.2%
Return on equity 20.4% -141.5% 23.3%
Return on assets 6.9% -77.9% 18.7%
Return on invested capital – – –
Return on capital employed – -103.5% 24.3%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.4x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) – 0.9x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue – 6.5% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricECLKSCPNSSC
Debt / assets – 7.9% –
Debt / equity – 0.1x –
Net debt / EBITDA – 0.1x –
Debt / FCF – -0.1x –
Liabilities / assets 66.4% 47.1% 20.0%
Equity / assets 33.6% 52.9% 80.0%
Interest coverage – – –
Current ratio 1.1x 1.2x 4.9x
Quick ratio – 0.8x 4.1x
Cash ratio – 0.5x 3.2x
Altman Z-score – -8.20 21.47

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricECLKSCPNSSC
Dividend yield 1.0% – 1.5%
Net buyback yield – – 0.0%
Shareholder yield 1.0% – 1.5%
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.

ConsensusECLKSCPNSSC
Forward P/E 37.0xFY2026 – 24.6xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $7.90FY2026 $-2.65FY2026 $1.61FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +4.9%FY2026 – +0.6%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +23.2% – +19.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $17.26BFY2026 $34.99MFY2026 $208.17MFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +7.3%FY2026 +209.6%FY2026 +2.9%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +5.4% +18.0% +9.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersECLKSCPNSSC
Held by institutions 80.0% 6.3% 100.0%
Institutions holding 1,711 62 259
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.4% +6.1% +4.2%
Institutions buying 763 29 136
Institutions selling 679 6 89
Buyers to sellers 1.12 4.83 1.53

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.

ECLKSCPNSSC
ECL 1.00 0.00 0.25
KSCP 0.00 1.00 0.05
NSSC 0.25 0.05 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ECL, KSCP and NSSC?

Ecolab (ECL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ecolab (ECL) $81.99B, Knightscope (KSCP) $12.28M, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) $1.42B.

Which stock is cheaper, ECL, KSCP and NSSC?

Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ecolab (ECL) 39.4x, Knightscope (KSCP) -0.2x, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) 32.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) is cheapest (Ecolab (ECL) 37.0x, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) 24.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Knightscope (KSCP) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Ecolab (ECL) +9.3%, Knightscope (KSCP) +88.0%, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) +11.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) has the highest net margin (Knightscope (KSCP) -217.3%, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) 21.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ecolab (ECL) returned the most: Ecolab (ECL) +9.0%, Knightscope (KSCP) -90.6%, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) -9.9%. Over five years, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) compounded fastest (Ecolab (ECL) +5.7%/yr, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) +10.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) has the highest dividend yield: Ecolab (ECL) 1.00%, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) 1.54%. Knightscope (KSCP) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ecolab (ECL) has been the steadiest (Ecolab (ECL) 21.5%, Knightscope (KSCP) 109.1%, Napco Security Technologies (NSSC) 40.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ECL, KSCP and NSSC?

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