Is ECL or RIO cheaper?

On trailing earnings, RIO is cheaper: ECL trades at a 38.38 P/E and RIO at 7.12.

Which has grown faster, ECL or RIO?

Over the past five years, ECL grew revenue faster — ECL at a 7.14% CAGR versus RIO at 4.92%.

Does ECL or RIO pay a bigger dividend?

ECL yields 1.03% and RIO yields 5.42% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is ECL or RIO more profitable?

RIO runs the higher net margin — ECL at 12.80% versus RIO at 19.28%.

Which has been the better investment, ECL or RIO?

Over the past 10-year, RIO delivered the higher annualized total return — ECL at 10.51% versus RIO at 21.31%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) vs Rio Tinto Group (RIO)

RIO leads on 11 of 17 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Ecolab Inc. and Rio Tinto Group across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 28, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

ECL

Ecolab Inc.

$79.83B

$283.65Basic Materials

RIO

Rio Tinto Group

$152.24B

$93.74Basic Materials

Total return — ECL vs RIO

growth of $100 · last 30y

ECL +3338.2%RIO +522.4%ECL compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

ECL RIO

ECL vs RIO: by the numbers

•RIO is the larger company ($152.24B vs $79.83B market cap).
•RIO trades at the lower earnings multiple (7.12 vs 38.38 P/E).
•RIO converts more revenue to profit (19.28% vs 12.80% net margin).
•ECL grew revenue faster over the past five years (7.14% vs 4.92% CAGR).
•RIO pays the higher dividend yield (5.42% vs 1.03%).

Which is better, ECL or RIO?

Metric tally: ECL 6 · RIO 11

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueRIO(lower P/E)

GrowthECL(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeRIO(higher dividend yield)

QualityECL(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	ECL	RIO
P/E ratio	38.38	7.12●
Forward P/E	34.12	10.76●
P/S ratio	4.89	1.38●
P/B ratio	8.04	2.47●
PEG ratio	7.40●	19.77
EV / EBITDA	24.94	4.06●
FCF yield	2.32%	7.01%●

Profitability

Metric	ECL	RIO
Gross margin	44.29%●	27.57%
Operating margin	17.49%	27.10%●
Net margin	12.80%	19.28%●
ROE	21.05%	34.53%●
ROIC	11.95%●	9.18%

Dividends

Metric	ECL	RIO
Dividend yield	1.03%	5.42%●
Payout ratio	39.84%	82.60%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	ECL	RIO
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	7.14%●	4.92%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	5.19%●	0.36%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	6.68%●	-11.74%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	7.64%	10.24%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, ECL or RIO?: It depends on your goal. value: RIO (lower P/E); growth: ECL (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: RIO (higher dividend yield); quality: ECL (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, RIO leads 11 to 6.
Is ECL or RIO cheaper?: On trailing earnings, RIO is cheaper: ECL trades at a 38.38 P/E and RIO at 7.12.
Which has grown faster, ECL or RIO?: Over the past five years, ECL grew revenue faster — ECL at a 7.14% CAGR versus RIO at 4.92%.
Does ECL or RIO pay a bigger dividend?: ECL yields 1.03% and RIO yields 5.42% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is ECL or RIO more profitable?: RIO runs the higher net margin — ECL at 12.80% versus RIO at 19.28%.
Which has been the better investment, ECL or RIO?: Over the past 10-year, RIO delivered the higher annualized total return — ECL at 10.51% versus RIO at 21.31%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full ECL analysis Full RIO analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Ecolab & Rio Tinto appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Dividend Aristocrats Highest ROE Stocks Highest FCF Yield 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 28, 2026.