Is ECL or SHW cheaper?

On trailing earnings, SHW is cheaper: ECL trades at a 35.91 P/E and SHW at 30.45.

Which has grown faster, ECL or SHW?

Over the past five years, ECL grew revenue faster — ECL at a 7.14% CAGR versus SHW at 4.87%.

Does ECL or SHW pay a bigger dividend?

ECL yields 1.04% and SHW yields 1.00% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is ECL or SHW more profitable?

ECL runs the higher net margin — ECL at 12.80% versus SHW at 10.86%.

Which has been the better investment, ECL or SHW?

Over the past 10-year, SHW delivered the higher annualized total return — ECL at 9.42% versus SHW at 13.58%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) vs The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW)

SHW leads on 10 of 17 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Ecolab Inc. and The Sherwin-Williams Company 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

SHW

The Sherwin-Williams Company

$78.26B

$317.30Basic Materials

Total return — ECL vs SHW

growth of $100 · last 30y

ECL +3105.4%SHW +4300.8%SHW compounded faster

ECL SHW

ECL vs SHW: by the numbers

•SHW is the larger company ($78.26B vs $74.70B market cap).
•SHW trades at the lower earnings multiple (30.45 vs 35.91 P/E).
•ECL converts more revenue to profit (12.80% vs 10.86% net margin).
•ECL grew revenue faster over the past five years (7.14% vs 4.87% CAGR).
•ECL pays the higher dividend yield (1.04% vs 1.00%).

Which is better, ECL or SHW?

Metric tally: ECL 7 · SHW 10

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueSHW(lower P/E)

GrowthECL(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeECL(higher dividend yield)

QualitySHW(higher ROIC)

Valuation

Metric	ECL	SHW
P/E ratio	35.91	30.45●
Forward P/E	31.93	27.07●
P/S ratio	4.58	3.29●
P/B ratio	7.53●	17.77
PEG ratio	6.92	4.52●
EV / EBITDA	25.55	20.64●
FCF yield	2.48%	3.69%●

Profitability

Metric	ECL	SHW
Gross margin	44.29%	49.12%●
Operating margin	17.49%●	16.13%
Net margin	12.80%●	10.86%
ROE	21.05%	58.66%●
ROIC	11.95%	15.21%●

Dividends

Metric	ECL	SHW
Dividend yield	1.04%●	1.00%
Payout ratio	37.65%	30.64%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	ECL	SHW
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	7.14%●	4.87%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	5.19%	6.74%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	6.68%●	-2.44%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	5.50%●	3.70%

Frequently asked

Which is better, ECL or SHW?: It depends on your goal. value: SHW (lower P/E); growth: ECL (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: ECL (higher dividend yield); quality: SHW (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, SHW leads 10 to 7.
Is ECL or SHW cheaper?: On trailing earnings, SHW is cheaper: ECL trades at a 35.91 P/E and SHW at 30.45.
Which has grown faster, ECL or SHW?: Over the past five years, ECL grew revenue faster — ECL at a 7.14% CAGR versus SHW at 4.87%.
Does ECL or SHW pay a bigger dividend?: ECL yields 1.04% and SHW yields 1.00% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is ECL or SHW more profitable?: ECL runs the higher net margin — ECL at 12.80% versus SHW at 10.86%.
Which has been the better investment, ECL or SHW?: Over the past 10-year, SHW delivered the higher annualized total return — ECL at 9.42% versus SHW at 13.58%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full ECL analysis Full SHW analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Ecolab P/E ratio Sherwin-Williams P/E ratio Ecolab dividend yield Sherwin-Williams dividend yield Ecolab ROE Sherwin-Williams ROE Ecolab operating margin Sherwin-Williams operating margin Ecolab revenue growth Sherwin-Williams revenue growth Ecolab free cash flow Sherwin-Williams free cash flow

Ecolab & Sherwin-Williams appear in these rankings

Dividend Aristocrats Highest ROE Stocks 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.