AU vs. ECL: AngloGold Ashanti vs. Ecolab Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL) both fall under the Materials industry group, but AU is classified in Metals & Mining while ECL is classified in Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL)
Profile Item	AU	ECL
Name	AngloGold Ashanti plc	Ecolab Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Gold	Specialty Chemicals
Market Capitalization	47.04 billion USD	84.33 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 5, 1998	February 21, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ECL

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	AU	ECL
Total Return (1Y)	47.97%	20.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	87.34%	21.41%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	42.76%	6.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ECL

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	AU	ECL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	60.11%	21.72%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-51.75%	-43.70%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.54M	1.40M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AU and ECL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	AU	ECL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.73	0.74
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.07	1.13

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 44.33% and Ecolab (ECL) at 20.77% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

AU

Materials industry group

44.33%

Max: 52.88%
AU: 44.33%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

ECL

Materials industry group

20.77%

Max: 52.88%
ECL: 20.77%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 32.64% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Ecolab (ECL) at 11.99%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AU

Materials industry group

32.64%

Max: 38.66%
AU: 32.64%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

ECL

Materials industry group

11.99%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
ECL: 11.99%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 45.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Ecolab (ECL) at 19.22%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AU

Materials industry group

45.36%

Max: 66.70%
AU: 45.36%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

ECL

Materials industry group

19.22%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
ECL: 19.22%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	AU	ECL
ROE (TTM)	44.33%	20.77%
ROA (TTM)	24.39%	7.29%
Net Margin (TTM)	32.64%	11.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)	45.36%	19.22%
Gross Margin (TTM)	54.84%	44.04%

Growth

Revenue Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 70.78% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Ecolab (ECL) at 2.16% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 122.32% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Ecolab (ECL) at -1.22% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	AU	ECL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	70.78%	2.16%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	30.02%	4.26%
EPS Growth (YoY)	122.32%	-1.22%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	93.95%	24.09%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 2.55 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Ecolab (ECL) at 1.11 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for ECL.

AU

Materials industry group

2.55

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
AU: 2.55
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

ECL

Materials industry group

1.11

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
ECL: 1.11
Min: 0.16

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 0.16 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Ecolab (ECL) at 1.33 uses more debt funding than most peers.

AU

Materials industry group

0.16

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
AU: 0.16
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

ECL

Materials industry group

1.33

Max: 1.98
ECL: 1.33
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	AU	ECL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.55	1.11
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.16	1.33
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.17	3.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Ecolab (ECL) at 0.95% pays an industry-typical yield; AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 4.88% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

AU

Materials industry group

4.88%

AU: 4.88%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ECL

Materials industry group

0.95%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
ECL: 0.95%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Ecolab (ECL) at 39.73% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 58.78% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AU

Materials industry group

58.78%

Max: 83.62%
AU: 58.78%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ECL

Materials industry group

39.73%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
ECL: 39.73%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	AU	ECL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.88%	0.95%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	58.78%	39.73%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 12.09 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Ecolab (ECL) at 40.91 sits in the richer quartile — ECL needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

AU

Materials industry group

12.09

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
AU: 12.09
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

ECL

Materials industry group

40.91

Max: 59.00
ECL: 40.91
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 3.91 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Ecolab (ECL) at 4.85 sits in the pricier quartile — ECL costs more per dollar of sales.

AU

Materials industry group

3.91

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
AU: 3.91
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

ECL

Materials industry group

4.85

Max: 9.62
ECL: 4.85
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 5.01 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Ecolab (ECL) at 8.09 prices even higher, above its industry range.

AU

Materials industry group

5.01

Max: 6.59
AU: 5.01
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

ECL

Materials industry group

8.09

ECL: 8.09
Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	AU	ECL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	12.09	40.91
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.91	4.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.01	8.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	7.61%	1.71%