ESI vs ITW vs PPG Stock Comparison

Element Solutions, Illinois Tool Works and Ppg Industries Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ESI Element Solutions Inc
$33.53 -6.1% 1M +28.1% 1Y
Market cap
$8.48B
P/E
41.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.49B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Chemicals Basic Materials
3 wins
ITW Illinois Tool Works Inc
$276.01 +0.7% 1M +12.3% 1Y
Market cap
$78.94B
P/E
24.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.47B
Div. yield
0.02%
Industrial Machinery Industrials
5 wins
PPG Ppg Industries Inc
$109.88 +2.2% 1M +6.2% 1Y
Market cap
$25.00B
P/E
15.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.42B
Div. yield
0.03%
Paints and Coatings Basic Materials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Illinois Tool Works leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Illinois Tool Works 5, Ppg Industries 4, Element Solutions 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionESIITWPPGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $8.48B $78.94B $25.00B ITW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 41.4x 24.7x 15.9x PPG
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.5x 25.9x 13.4x PPG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +39.6% +4.3% +5.0% ESI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.9% 19.4% 9.6% ITW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.4% 27.1% 10.9% ITW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 1.9x 1.9x ITW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.03% PPG
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +28.1% +12.3% +6.2% ESI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.7%/yr +4.4%/yr -7.4%/yr ESI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 46.8% 21.3% 30.6% ITW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 48/100 68/100 PPG

Percentile Scorecard

ESIITWPPG

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

AxisESIITWPPG
Valuation 38 #59 of 94 26 #150 of 203 66 #33 of 94
Growth 76 #23 of 92 33 #125 of 187 74 #25 of 92
Profitability 59 #37 of 89 100 #2 of 185 86 #13 of 89
Financial Health 46 #53 of 97 23 #170 of 219 47 #52 of 97
Shareholder Returns 30 #49 of 70 59 #63 of 153 68 #23 of 70
Overall 50 48 68
  • ESI ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • ITW ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • PPG ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodESIITWPPGSPY
1 month -6.1%+0.7%+2.2% -0.8%
3 months -11.4%-3.0%-7.2% +3.5%
6 months -16.9%+2.3%-0.4% +7.0%
Year to date +34.2%+12.1%+7.2% +12.2%
1 year +28.1%+12.3%+6.2% +13.0%
3 years +86.3%+23.6%-9.0% +86.3%
3 years, per year +23.1%+7.3%-3.1% +23.1%
5 years +51.5%+24.2%-32.0% +68.6%
5 years, per year +8.7%+4.4%-7.4% +11.0%
10 years +349.5%+143.4%+18.8% +258.0%
10 years, per year +16.2%+9.3%+1.7% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureESIITWPPGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 46.8%21.3%30.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 47.4%20.8%31.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.170.471.04 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.600.580.20 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -40.3%-28.9%-47.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -31.7%-7.9%-16.5% -1.8%
52-week high $49.09$299.60$131.56 $779.14
52-week low $22.99$241.07$94.34 $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.

MultipleESIITWPPG
P/E now vs peer median 39.8xmedian 21.6x 24.7xmedian 26.0x 15.6xmedian 21.6x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 1.4x 4.8xmedian 1.9x 1.5xmedian 1.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.3xmedian 12.4x 18.4xmedian 14.0x 11.0xmedian 12.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 44.5xmedian 15.8x 26.9xmedian 21.4x 17.4xmedian 15.8x
P/B now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 1.6x 27.2xmedian 2.2x 2.8xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median 0.71median 1.66 8.37median 1.26 1.94median 1.66

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 monthsESIITWPPG
Revenue $3.49B $16.47B $16.42B
Gross profit $1.28B $7.27B $6.72B
Operating income $408.70M $4.36B $2.18B
Net income $205.20M $3.19B $1.57B
Free cash flow $182.90M $2.92B $1.41B
R&D $80.00M – $458.00M
EPS (diluted) $0.84 $11.13 $7.02
Cash & equivalents $224.90M $839.00M $1.52B
Total debt $2.08B $9.69B $6.89B
Shares (diluted) 243.70M 287.00M 223.90M
Enterprise value $7.26B $75.50B $17.65B

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
MetricESIITWPPG
P/E 39.8x 24.7x 15.6x
P/FCF 44.5x 26.9x 17.4x
P/Operating cash flow 28.7x 23.6x 11.3x
P/S 2.3x 4.8x 1.5x
P/B 2.8x 27.2x 2.8x
P/Tangible book 4.3x 33.6x 3.7x
EV/EBITDA 17.3x 18.4x 11.0x
EV/EBIT 24.4x 20.0x 13.7x
EV/Revenue 2.9x 5.3x 1.8x
EV/FCF 54.6x 29.9x 21.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 35.3x 26.3x 13.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.71 8.37 1.94

Growth

14 metrics
MetricESIITWPPG
Revenue growth (1Y) 39.6% 4.3% 5.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 14.4% 0.8% 1.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 21.5% 5.3% 3.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.7% 2.7% 3.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 17.6% 6.4% 1.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 31.9% 3.4% 3.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -14.4% -5.1% 56.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 56.0% 1.0% 5.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -15.0% -3.1% 58.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 55.8% 3.0% 8.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -16.0% 5.8% 50.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.2% 3.1% 7.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -32.2% 7.2% 85.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.3% 4.1% 2.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricESIITWPPG
Gross margin 36.6% 44.2% 40.9%
EBITDA margin 16.6% 28.9% 16.5%
Operating margin 11.7% 26.5% 13.3%
Pretax margin 9.0% 25.0% 12.4%
Net margin 5.9% 19.4% 9.6%
FCF margin 5.2% 17.7% 8.6%
Operating cash flow margin 8.1% 20.2% 13.2%
Return on equity 7.2% 104.3% 18.8%
Return on assets 3.5% 19.5% 7.1%
Return on invested capital 5.4% 27.1% 10.9%
Return on capital employed 7.8% 41.9% 12.7%
Asset turnover 0.6x 1.0x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.0x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 2.4% 0.4% 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricESIITWPPG
Debt / assets 35.5% 58.8% 30.6%
Debt / equity 0.7x 3.3x 0.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 1.9x 1.9x
Debt / FCF 11.4x 3.3x 4.9x
Liabilities / assets 50.7% 82.4% 61.9%
Equity / assets 49.3% 17.6% 38.1%
Interest coverage – 14.5x 8.5x
Current ratio 2.8x 1.1x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.7x 0.7x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.49 8.00 3.72

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricESIITWPPG
Dividend yield 1.0% 2.4% 2.6%
Net buyback yield 0.5% 2.3% 1.7%
Shareholder yield 1.5% 4.7% 4.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 57.4% 40.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 62.8% 44.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 5.5% 1.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 5.1% 3.0%

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.

ConsensusESIITWPPG
Forward P/E 19.5xFY2026 25.9xFY2026 13.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.72FY2026 $10.67FY2026 $8.18FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +15.4%FY2026 +1.7%FY2026 +7.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +33.7% +19.3% +10.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.86BFY2026 $16.46BFY2026 $17.59BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +51.4%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026 +10.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.3% +11.4% -6.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersESIITWPPG
Held by institutions 100.0% 84.9% 90.3%
Institutions holding 499 1,969 1,095
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +0.8% +0.1%
Institutions buying 269 846 519
Institutions selling 176 750 356
Buyers to sellers 1.53 1.13 1.46

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.

ESIITWPPG
ESI 1.00 0.26 0.35
ITW 0.26 1.00 0.61
PPG 0.35 0.61 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ESI, ITW and PPG?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Element Solutions (ESI) $8.48B, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) $78.94B, Ppg Industries (PPG) $25.00B.

Which stock is cheaper, ESI, ITW and PPG?

Ppg Industries (PPG) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Element Solutions (ESI) 41.4x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 24.7x, Ppg Industries (PPG) 15.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Ppg Industries (PPG) is cheapest (Element Solutions (ESI) 19.5x, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 25.9x, Ppg Industries (PPG) 13.4x). 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: Element Solutions (ESI) +39.6%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.3%, Ppg Industries (PPG) +5.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has the highest net margin (Element Solutions (ESI) 5.9%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 19.4%, Ppg Industries (PPG) 9.6%). On return on invested capital, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) leads (Element Solutions (ESI) 5.4%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 27.1%, Ppg Industries (PPG) 10.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Element Solutions (ESI) returned the most: Element Solutions (ESI) +28.1%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +12.3%, Ppg Industries (PPG) +6.2%. Over five years, Element Solutions (ESI) compounded fastest (Element Solutions (ESI) +8.7%/yr, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) +4.4%/yr, Ppg Industries (PPG) -7.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Ppg Industries (PPG) has the highest dividend yield: Element Solutions (ESI) 0.00%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 0.02%, Ppg Industries (PPG) 0.03%. Element Solutions (ESI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) has been the steadiest (Element Solutions (ESI) 46.8%, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) 21.3%, Ppg Industries (PPG) 30.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ESI, ITW and PPG?

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