AGI vs. ECL: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison

Updated on July 7, 2025

Here’s a clear look at AGI and ECL, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.

Company Overview

ECL’s market capitalization of 77.71 billion USD is significantly greater than AGI’s 11.35 billion USD, highlighting its more substantial market valuation.

ECL carries a higher beta at 1.04, indicating it’s more sensitive to market moves, while AGI (beta: 0.47) exhibits greater stability.

Symbol	AGI	ECL
Company Name	Alamos Gold Inc.	Ecolab Inc.
Country	CA	US
Sector	Basic Materials	Basic Materials
Industry	Gold	Chemicals - Specialty
CEO	John A. McCluskey	Christophe Beck
Price	26.99 USD	274.09 USD
Market Cap	11.35 billion USD	77.71 billion USD
Beta	0.47	1.04
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
IPO Date	May 2, 2003	January 1, 1957
ADR	No	No

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of AGI and ECL by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period.

Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.

AGI vs. ECL: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past one year.

Profitability

Return on Equity

AGI

7.49%

Gold Industry

Max: 25.86%
Q3: 12.48%
Median: 8.15%
Q1: 2.34%
Min: -3.82%

AGI’s Return on Equity of 7.49% is on par with the norm for the Gold industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

ECL

24.40%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 34.45%
Q3: 15.78%
Median: 7.65%
Q1: 2.96%
Min: -12.04%

In the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, ECL’s Return on Equity of 24.40% signals a highly effective use of shareholder capital to drive profitability compared to most of its peers.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their ROE against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Return on Invested Capital

AGI

5.80%

Gold Industry

Max: 20.84%
Q3: 9.90%
Median: 5.11%
Q1: 1.36%
Min: -10.62%

AGI’s Return on Invested Capital of 5.80% is in line with the norm for the Gold industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.

ECL

12.58%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 20.22%
Q3: 10.99%
Median: 5.25%
Q1: 3.06%
Min: -8.62%

In the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, ECL’s Return on Invested Capital of 12.58% signifies a highly effective use of its capital to generate profits when compared to its peers.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their ROIC against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin

AGI

18.36%

Gold Industry

Max: 26.48%
Q3: 21.01%
Median: 16.48%
Q1: 8.22%
Min: -6.63%

AGI’s Net Profit Margin of 18.36% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Gold industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

ECL

13.41%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 23.23%
Q3: 10.64%
Median: 5.14%
Q1: 0.64%
Min: -8.93%

A Net Profit Margin of 13.41% places ECL in the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, signifying strong profitability and more effective cost management than most of its peers.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin

AGI

36.10%

Gold Industry

Max: 67.43%
Q3: 40.39%
Median: 30.64%
Q1: 19.83%
Min: -9.84%

AGI’s Operating Profit Margin of 36.10% is around the midpoint for the Gold industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

ECL

18.21%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 26.42%
Q3: 15.81%
Median: 10.07%
Q1: 4.82%
Min: -7.44%

An Operating Profit Margin of 18.21% places ECL in the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This signals a strong ability to translate revenue into operating profit, outperforming most of its competitors in core business efficiency.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their Operating Margin against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	AGI	ECL
Return on Equity (TTM)	7.49%	24.40%
Return on Assets (TTM)	4.80%	9.40%
Return on Invested Capital (TTM)	5.80%	12.58%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	18.36%	13.41%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	36.10%	18.21%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	44.36%	43.74%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio

AGI

1.49

Gold Industry

Max: 4.98
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.34
Q1: 1.51
Min: 0.52

AGI’s Current Ratio of 1.49 falls into the lower quartile for the Gold industry. This indicates a tighter liquidity situation and a more constrained capacity to handle short-term debt than many of its competitors.

ECL

1.32

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 3.95
Q3: 2.60
Median: 2.04
Q1: 1.60
Min: 0.77

ECL’s Current Ratio of 1.32 falls into the lower quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This indicates a tighter liquidity situation and a more constrained capacity to handle short-term debt than many of its competitors.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their Current Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio

AGI

0.08

Gold Industry

Max: 0.67
Q3: 0.34
Median: 0.17
Q1: 0.06
Min: 0.00

AGI’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.08 is typical for the Gold industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

ECL

0.93

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 1.65
Q3: 1.10
Median: 0.73
Q1: 0.55
Min: 0.01

ECL’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.93 is typical for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their D/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio

AGI

81.65

Gold Industry

Max: 45.23
Q3: 25.79
Median: 13.44
Q1: 2.91
Min: -6.26

With an Interest Coverage Ratio of 81.65, AGI demonstrates a superior capacity to service its debt, placing it well above the typical range for the Gold industry. This stems from either robust earnings or a conservative debt load.

ECL

12.43

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 13.69
Q3: 9.06
Median: 5.24
Q1: 1.68
Min: -3.09

ECL’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 12.43 is in the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, signifying a strong and healthy capacity to meet its interest payments from operating profits.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their Interest Coverage against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	AGI	ECL
Current Ratio (TTM)	1.49	1.32
Quick Ratio (TTM)	0.94	0.98
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM)	0.08	0.93
Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM)	0.05	0.37
Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM)	-0.01	1.81
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	81.65	12.43

Growth

The following charts compare key year-over-year (YoY) growth metrics for AGI and ECL. These metrics are based on the companies’ annual financial reports.

Revenue Growth

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Revenue Growth.

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth.

Free Cash Flow Growth

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Free Cash Flow Growth.

Dividend

Dividend Yield

AGI

0.37%

Gold Industry

Max: 3.65%
Q3: 1.37%
Median: 0.47%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AGI’s Dividend Yield of 0.37% is consistent with its peers in the Gold industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

ECL

0.92%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 9.19%
Q3: 2.44%
Median: 1.46%
Q1: 0.25%
Min: 0.00%

ECL’s Dividend Yield of 0.92% is consistent with its peers in the Chemicals - Specialty industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their Dividend Yield against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio

AGI

14.02%

Gold Industry

Max: 110.70%
Q3: 42.09%
Median: 15.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AGI’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 14.02% is within the typical range for the Gold industry, suggesting a balanced approach between shareholder payouts and company reinvestment.

ECL

32.39%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 163.70%
Q3: 57.04%
Median: 30.02%
Q1: 12.51%
Min: 0.00%

ECL’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 32.39% is within the typical range for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, suggesting a balanced approach between shareholder payouts and company reinvestment.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their Payout Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	AGI	ECL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.37%	0.92%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	14.02%	32.39%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio

AGI

44.08

Gold Industry

Max: 64.00
Q3: 46.06
Median: 29.03
Q1: 16.74
Min: 1.00

AGI’s P/E Ratio of 44.08 is within the middle range for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.

ECL

36.94

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 56.68
Q3: 33.75
Median: 23.45
Q1: 16.09
Min: 7.50

A P/E Ratio of 36.94 places ECL in the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This high valuation relative to peers suggests the market holds elevated expectations for the company’s future growth.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their P/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Forward P/E to Growth Ratio

AGI

2.63

Gold Industry

Max: 14.01
Q3: 6.52
Median: 3.33
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.05

The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Gold industry.

ECL

3.03

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 6.58
Q3: 3.23
Median: 1.64
Q1: 0.96
Min: 0.16

ECL’s Forward PEG Ratio of 3.03 is within the middle range of its peers in the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This suggests a reasonable balance between the stock’s price and its expected growth, aligning with sector valuation norms.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their Forward PEG Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio

AGI

8.09

Gold Industry

Max: 15.12
Q3: 7.63
Median: 3.25
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.79

AGI’s P/S Ratio of 8.09 is in the upper echelon for the Gold industry. This means the company is valued richly on its revenue stream compared to its peers, suggesting the stock is priced for a high level of future performance.

ECL

4.95

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 3.76
Q3: 2.31
Median: 1.38
Q1: 0.89
Min: 0.16

With a P/S Ratio of 4.95, ECL trades at a valuation that eclipses even the highest in the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This implies the market has priced in exceptionally optimistic scenarios for future revenue growth, posing considerable valuation risk.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their P/S Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio

AGI

3.15

Gold Industry

Max: 6.10
Q3: 3.60
Median: 2.02
Q1: 1.35
Min: 0.26

AGI’s P/B Ratio of 3.15 is within the conventional range for the Gold industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.

ECL

8.75

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 6.73
Q3: 3.78
Median: 1.56
Q1: 1.27
Min: 0.35

At 8.75, ECL’s P/B Ratio is at an extreme premium to the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This signifies that the market’s valuation is heavily reliant on future potential rather than its current net asset value, which can be a high-risk proposition.

AGI vs. ECL: A comparison of their P/B Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	AGI	ECL
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM)	44.08	36.94
Forward PEG Ratio (TTM)	2.63	3.03
Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM)	8.09	4.95
Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM)	3.15	8.75
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM)	60.16	51.70
EV-to-EBITDA (TTM)	15.02	21.77
EV-to-Sales (TTM)	8.09	5.40