Colgate Palmolive (CL) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026)
Colgate Palmolive's Return on Sales [ROS] was 20.26% in Q3 2026, down 0.37 percentage points from 20.64% a year earlier but up 1.31 percentage points from the prior quarter.
Powered by 
Analysis
Colgate Palmolive (CL) Return on Sales [ROS] (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
On a trailing twelve-month basis, Colgate Palmolive's Return on Sales [ROS] was 14.85% through Sep 30, 2026, down 6.44 percentage points year-over-year; for FY2025, it came in at 16.22%, down 5.01 percentage points from FY2024.
- Return on Sales [ROS] shows a five-year change of -7.37 percentage points (FY2020 to FY2025).
- In earlier years, Return on Sales [ROS] was 21.23% in FY2024 (+0.76 pp), 20.48% in FY2023 (+4.37 pp), 16.10% in FY2022 (-3.02 pp) and 19.13% in FY2021 (-4.46 pp).
- Quarterly Return on Sales [ROS] has moved between 1.76% (Q4 2025) and 21.91% (Q1 2025) over five years.
- Compared with a year earlier, Return on Sales [ROS] has declined for six straight quarters, with an average year-over-year change of -3.25 percentage points over the last eight quarters.
- The best year-over-year quarter for Return on Sales [ROS] over five years was Q4 2023 (a gain of 17.29 percentage points); the worst was Q4 2025 (a drop of 19.74 percentage points).
- Per Business Quant data, CL's Return on Sales [ROS] in the three quarters before Q3 2026 was 18.95% (Q2 2026), 18.11% (Q1 2026) and 1.76% (Q4 2025).
Peer Set
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | ROS (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Procter & Gamble | 393.58 Bn | 345.38 Bn | 11.60 Bn | 25.51% |
| 2 | Colgate Palmolive | 79.23 Bn | 74.06 Bn | 3.23 Bn | 20.26% |
| 3 | Estee Lauder Companies | 40.61 Bn | 27.71 Bn | 2.81 Bn | 10.98% |
| 4 | Kenvue | 37.02 Bn | 32.73 Bn | 2.31 Bn | 18.17% |
| 5 | Kimberly Clark | 36.40 Bn | 32.48 Bn | 1.44 Bn | 12.48% |
| 6 | Church & Dwight | 26.67 Bn | 25.06 Bn | 749.40 Mn | 18.19% |
| 7 | Clorox | 13.24 Bn | 11.66 Bn | 770.00 Mn | 23.67% |
| 8 | e.l.f. Beauty | 6.97 Bn | 5.79 Bn | 370.22 Mn | 10.07% |
| 9 | Reynolds Consumer Products | 5.22 Bn | 4.91 Bn | 236.00 Mn | 10.38% |
| 10 | Bath & Body Works | 4.32 Bn | 2.11 Bn | 692.00 Mn | 14.27% |
Historic Data
Download Data
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | 20.26% |
| Jun 30, 2026 | 18.95% |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 18.11% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 1.76% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 20.64% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 21.14% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 21.91% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 21.50% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 21.16% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 21.59% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 20.67% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 21.66% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 20.94% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 20.20% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 19.06% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 4.36% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 21.26% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 19.71% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 19.55% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 8.29% |
API Access
Colgate Palmolive Return on Sales [ROS] API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=CL&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEYimport requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "return-on-sales-[ros]", "ticker": "CL", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=CL&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();