Is ECL or NUE cheaper?

On trailing earnings, NUE is cheaper: ECL trades at a 35.91 P/E and NUE at 26.37.

Which has grown faster, ECL or NUE?

Over the past five years, NUE grew revenue faster — ECL at a 7.14% CAGR versus NUE at 9.67%.

Does ECL or NUE pay a bigger dividend?

ECL yields 1.04% and NUE yields 0.83% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is ECL or NUE more profitable?

ECL runs the higher net margin — ECL at 12.80% versus NUE at 6.82%.

Which has been the better investment, ECL or NUE?

Over the past 10-year, NUE delivered the higher annualized total return — ECL at 9.42% versus NUE at 20.73%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) vs Nucor Corporation (NUE)

NUE leads on 9 of 17 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Ecolab Inc. and Nucor Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 13, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

ECL

Ecolab Inc.

$74.70B

$265.41Basic Materials

NUE

Nucor Corporation

$60.66B

$266.35Basic Materials

Total return — ECL vs NUE

growth of $100 · last 30y

ECL +3105.4%NUE +1967.9%ECL compounded faster

ECL NUE

ECL vs NUE: by the numbers

•ECL is the larger company ($74.70B vs $60.66B market cap).
•NUE trades at the lower earnings multiple (26.37 vs 35.91 P/E).
•ECL converts more revenue to profit (12.80% vs 6.82% net margin).
•NUE grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.67% vs 7.14% CAGR).
•ECL pays the higher dividend yield (1.04% vs 0.83%).

Which is better, ECL or NUE?

Metric tally: ECL 8 · NUE 9

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueNUE(lower P/E)

GrowthNUE(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeECL(higher dividend yield)

QualityECL(higher ROIC)

Valuation

Metric	ECL	NUE
P/E ratio	35.91	26.37●
Forward P/E	31.93	16.16●
P/S ratio	4.58	1.79●
P/B ratio	7.53	2.85●
PEG ratio	6.92	1.01●
EV / EBITDA	25.55	13.38●
FCF yield	2.48%●	0.87%

Profitability

Metric	ECL	NUE
Gross margin	44.29%●	13.98%
Operating margin	17.49%●	10.04%
Net margin	12.80%●	6.82%
ROE	21.05%●	10.87%
ROIC	11.95%●	6.74%

Dividends

Metric	ECL	NUE
Dividend yield	1.04%●	0.83%
Payout ratio	37.65%	29.48%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	ECL	NUE
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	7.14%	9.67%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	5.19%	26.02%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	6.68%●	-19.62%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	5.50%	21.93%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, ECL or NUE?: It depends on your goal. value: NUE (lower P/E); growth: NUE (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: ECL (higher dividend yield); quality: ECL (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, NUE leads 9 to 8.
Is ECL or NUE cheaper?: On trailing earnings, NUE is cheaper: ECL trades at a 35.91 P/E and NUE at 26.37.
Which has grown faster, ECL or NUE?: Over the past five years, NUE grew revenue faster — ECL at a 7.14% CAGR versus NUE at 9.67%.
Does ECL or NUE pay a bigger dividend?: ECL yields 1.04% and NUE yields 0.83% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is ECL or NUE more profitable?: ECL runs the higher net margin — ECL at 12.80% versus NUE at 6.82%.
Which has been the better investment, ECL or NUE?: Over the past 10-year, NUE delivered the higher annualized total return — ECL at 9.42% versus NUE at 20.73%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full ECL analysis Full NUE analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Ecolab P/E ratio Nucor P/E ratio Ecolab dividend yield Nucor dividend yield Ecolab ROE Nucor ROE Ecolab operating margin Nucor operating margin Ecolab revenue growth Nucor revenue growth Ecolab free cash flow Nucor free cash flow

Ecolab & Nucor appear in these rankings

Dividend Aristocrats Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 13, 2026.