Which has the lower trailing P/E, ECL or NUE?

NUE has the lower trailing P/E: ECL trades at 37.07 and NUE at 20.69. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, ECL or NUE?

Over the past five years, NUE grew revenue faster — ECL at a 6.78% CAGR versus NUE at 10.36%.

Does ECL or NUE pay a bigger dividend?

ECL yields 1.03% and NUE yields 0.86% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is ECL or NUE more profitable?

ECL runs the higher net margin — ECL at 12.57% versus NUE at 7.99%.

How have ECL and NUE total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, ECL delivered 10.00% and NUE delivered 21.26% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

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

A side-by-side comparison of Ecolab Inc. and Nucor Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 13, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

ECL

Ecolab Inc.

$77.73B

$276.18Basic MaterialsDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

NUE

Nucor Corporation

$59.08B

$259.43Basic MaterialsDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — ECL vs NUE

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

ECL +151.6% (+9.7%/yr)NUE +604.0% (+21.6%/yr)NUE compounded faster over this window

ECL NUE

ECL vs NUE: by the numbers

•ECL is the larger company ($77.73B vs $59.08B market cap).
•NUE trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (20.69 vs 37.07 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•ECL converts more revenue to profit (12.57% vs 7.99% net margin).
•NUE grew revenue faster over the past five years (10.36% vs 6.78% CAGR).
•ECL pays the higher dividend yield (1.03% vs 0.86%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	ECL	NUE
P/E ratio	37.07	20.69
Forward P/E	33.87	13.75
P/S ratio	4.61	1.64
P/B ratio	7.73	2.67
EV / EBITDA	23.64	11.39
FCF yield	2.41%	2.68%

Profitability

Metric	ECL	NUE
Gross margin	44.11%	15.47%
Operating margin	17.37%	11.47%
Net margin	12.57%	7.99%
ROE	21.05%	13.04%
ROIC	9.42%	10.13%

Dividends

Metric	ECL	NUE
Dividend yield	1.03%	0.86%
Payout ratio	38.12%	17.78%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	ECL	NUE
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.78%	10.36%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	5.19%	26.02%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	5.77%	-0.04%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	5.26%	20.00%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, ECL or NUE?: NUE has the lower trailing P/E: ECL trades at 37.07 and NUE at 20.69. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, ECL or NUE?: Over the past five years, NUE grew revenue faster — ECL at a 6.78% CAGR versus NUE at 10.36%.
Does ECL or NUE pay a bigger dividend?: ECL yields 1.03% and NUE yields 0.86% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is ECL or NUE more profitable?: ECL runs the higher net margin — ECL at 12.57% versus NUE at 7.99%.
How have ECL and NUE total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, ECL delivered 10.00% and NUE delivered 21.26% annualized total return. 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

25+ Year Dividend Growers Highest 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 September 13, 2026.