ESI vs MKSI vs PPG Stock Comparison

Element Solutions, Mks and Ppg Industries Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ESI Element Solutions Inc
$33.21 -6.4% 1M +27.9% 1Y
Market cap
$8.15B
P/E
39.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.49B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Chemicals Basic Materials
2 wins
MKSI Mks Inc
$196.55 -25.2% 1M +39.7% 1Y
Market cap
$13.68B
P/E
31.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.35B
Div. yield
0.00%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
2 wins
PPG Ppg Industries Inc
$110.60 +3.2% 1M +6.9% 1Y
Market cap
$24.51B
P/E
15.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.42B
Div. yield
0.03%
Paints and Coatings Basic Materials
8 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Ppg Industries leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Ppg Industries 8, Element Solutions 2, Mks 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionESIMKSIPPGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $8.15B $13.68B $24.51B PPG
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 39.8x 31.1x 15.6x PPG
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.5x 14.6x 13.5x PPG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +39.6% +16.3% +5.0% ESI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.9% 10.1% 9.6% MKSI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.4% 8.9% 10.9% PPG
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 3.2x 1.9x PPG
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.03% PPG
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +27.9% +39.7% +6.9% MKSI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.8%/yr +6.3%/yr -7.3%/yr ESI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 46.8% 61.6% 30.6% PPG
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 55/100 68/100 PPG

Percentile Scorecard

ESIMKSIPPG

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

AxisESIMKSIPPG
Valuation 37 #60 of 94 77 #23 of 95 66 #33 of 94
Growth 76 #23 of 92 73 #26 of 93 74 #25 of 92
Profitability 59 #37 of 89 63 #34 of 91 86 #13 of 89
Financial Health 46 #53 of 97 1 #101 of 102 47 #52 of 97
Shareholder Returns 30 #49 of 70 63 #29 of 76 70 #22 of 70
Overall 50 55 68
  • ESI ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • MKSI ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors
  • PPG ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodESIMKSIPPGSPY
1 month -6.4%-25.2%+3.2% -1.0%
3 months -11.3%-40.3%-4.7% +2.9%
6 months -17.7%-30.0%+0.7% +6.4%
Year to date +32.9%+23.0%+7.9% +11.4%
1 year +27.9%+39.7%+6.9% +13.1%
3 years +81.0%+170.3%-10.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year +21.9%+39.3%-3.4% +21.5%
5 years +45.3%+35.8%-31.6% +67.7%
5 years, per year +7.8%+6.3%-7.3% +10.9%
10 years +341.6%+305.7%+19.7% +255.2%
10 years, per year +16.0%+15.0%+1.8% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureESIMKSIPPGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 46.8%61.6%30.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 47.4%66.0%31.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.162.791.04 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.600.650.22 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -40.3%-67.5%-47.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -32.3%-55.8%-15.9% -2.5%
52-week high $49.09$444.80$131.56 $779.14
52-week low $22.99$137.20$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.

MultipleESIMKSIPPG
P/E now vs peer median 39.4xmedian 21.5x 30.2xmedian 41.5x 15.7xmedian 21.5x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 1.4x 3.1xmedian 6.9x 1.5xmedian 1.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.1xmedian 12.4x 15.9xmedian 27.3x 11.0xmedian 12.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 44.1xmedian 15.5x 29.2xmedian 35.6x 17.5xmedian 15.5x
P/B now vs peer median 2.8xmedian 1.6x 4.4xmedian 4.2x 2.9xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median 0.71median 1.70 0.98median 2.31 1.95median 1.70

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 monthsESIMKSIPPG
Revenue $3.49B $4.35B $16.42B
Gross profit $1.28B $2.04B $6.72B
Operating income $408.70M $681.00M $2.18B
Net income $205.20M $439.00M $1.57B
Free cash flow $182.90M $455.00M $1.41B
R&D $80.00M $310.00M $458.00M
EPS (diluted) $0.84 $6.05 $7.02
Cash & equivalents $224.90M $611.00M $1.52B
Total debt $7.98B $3.94B $6.89B
Shares (diluted) 243.70M 72.70M 223.90M
Enterprise value $6.94B $11.12B $17.16B

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
MetricESIMKSIPPG
P/E 39.4x 30.2x 15.7x
P/FCF 44.1x 29.2x 17.5x
P/Operating cash flow 28.4x 20.9x 11.4x
P/S 2.3x 3.1x 1.5x
P/B 2.8x 4.4x 2.9x
P/Tangible book 4.2x 13.7x 3.7x
EV/EBITDA 17.1x 15.9x 11.0x
EV/EBIT 24.3x 24.4x 13.7x
EV/Revenue 2.8x 3.8x 1.8x
EV/FCF 54.2x 36.5x 21.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 35.0x 26.2x 13.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.71 0.98 1.95

Growth

14 metrics
MetricESIMKSIPPG
Revenue growth (1Y) 39.6% 16.3% 5.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 14.4% 4.2% 1.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 21.5% 15.4% 3.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.7% 6.7% 3.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 17.6% 33.5% 1.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 31.9% 35.4% 3.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -14.4% 64.4% 56.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 56.0% 31.0% 5.5%
EPS growth (1Y) -15.0% 52.8% 58.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 55.8% 30.7% 8.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -16.0% -1.6% 50.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.2% 20.7% 7.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -32.2% -13.3% 85.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.3% 22.9% 2.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricESIMKSIPPG
Gross margin 36.6% 47.0% 40.9%
EBITDA margin 16.6% 24.0% 16.5%
Operating margin 11.7% 15.7% 13.3%
Pretax margin 9.0% 11.2% 12.4%
Net margin 5.9% 10.1% 9.6%
FCF margin 5.2% 10.5% 8.6%
Operating cash flow margin 8.1% 14.6% 13.2%
Return on equity 7.2% 15.2% 18.8%
Return on assets 3.5% 5.0% 7.1%
Return on invested capital 5.4% 8.9% 10.9%
Return on capital employed 7.8% 10.6% 12.7%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.5x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.4x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 2.4% 1.3% 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricESIMKSIPPG
Debt / assets 35.5% 44.1% 30.6%
Debt / equity 0.7x 1.3x 0.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 3.2x 1.9x
Debt / FCF 11.4x 8.7x 4.9x
Liabilities / assets 50.7% 66.6% 61.9%
Equity / assets 49.3% 33.4% 38.1%
Interest coverage – 3.7x 8.5x
Current ratio 2.8x 1.1x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.7x 0.6x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.3x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.47 2.27 3.72

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricESIMKSIPPG
Dividend yield 1.0% 0.5% 2.6%
Net buyback yield 0.5% – 1.7%
Shareholder yield 1.5% 0.5% 4.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 14.4% 40.2%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 13.8% 44.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 6.8% 1.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 3.4% 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.

ConsensusESIMKSIPPG
Forward P/E 19.5xFY2026 14.6xFY2026 13.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.70FY2026 $13.48FY2026 $8.19FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +14.1%FY2026 +71.1%FY2026 +8.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +32.9% +34.3% +11.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.82BFY2026 $5.43BFY2026 $17.60BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +49.8%FY2026 +38.1%FY2026 +10.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.1% +7.6% -6.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersESIMKSIPPG
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 90.3%
Institutions holding 499 775 1,095
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +2.8% +0.1%
Institutions buying 269 455 519
Institutions selling 176 252 356
Buyers to sellers 1.53 1.81 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.

ESIMKSIPPG
ESI 1.00 0.63 0.35
MKSI 0.63 1.00 0.22
PPG 0.35 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ESI, MKSI and PPG?

Ppg Industries (PPG) is the largest by market capitalisation: Element Solutions (ESI) $8.15B, Mks (MKSI) $13.68B, Ppg Industries (PPG) $24.51B.

Which stock is cheaper, ESI, MKSI and PPG?

Ppg Industries (PPG) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Element Solutions (ESI) 39.8x, Mks (MKSI) 31.1x, Ppg Industries (PPG) 15.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Ppg Industries (PPG) is cheapest (Element Solutions (ESI) 19.5x, Mks (MKSI) 14.6x, Ppg Industries (PPG) 13.5x). 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%, Mks (MKSI) +16.3%, Ppg Industries (PPG) +5.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mks (MKSI) has the highest net margin (Element Solutions (ESI) 5.9%, Mks (MKSI) 10.1%, Ppg Industries (PPG) 9.6%). On return on invested capital, Ppg Industries (PPG) leads (Element Solutions (ESI) 5.4%, Mks (MKSI) 8.9%, Ppg Industries (PPG) 10.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Mks (MKSI) returned the most: Element Solutions (ESI) +27.9%, Mks (MKSI) +39.7%, Ppg Industries (PPG) +6.9%. Over five years, Element Solutions (ESI) compounded fastest (Element Solutions (ESI) +7.8%/yr, Mks (MKSI) +6.3%/yr, Ppg Industries (PPG) -7.3%/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%, Mks (MKSI) 0.00%, Ppg Industries (PPG) 0.03%. Element Solutions (ESI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ppg Industries (PPG) has been the steadiest (Element Solutions (ESI) 46.8%, Mks (MKSI) 61.6%, Ppg Industries (PPG) 30.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ESI, MKSI 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, Ppg Industries (PPG) leads on 8. 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.