CCK vs. ECL: Crown Holdings vs. Ecolab Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Crown Holdings (CCK) 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

Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL) both fall under the Materials industry group, but CCK is classified in Containers & Packaging while ECL is classified in Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL)
Profile Item	CCK	ECL
Name	Crown Holdings Inc.	Ecolab Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Containers & Packaging	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Metal, Glass & Plastic Containers	Specialty Chemicals
Market Capitalization	13.11 billion USD	84.33 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	February 21, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CCK

ECL

GSPC

Crown Holdings (CCK) 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 Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CCK	ECL
Total Return (1Y)	28.01%	20.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.05%	21.41%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	4.17%	6.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CCK

ECL

GSPC

Crown Holdings (CCK) 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 Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CCK	ECL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.51%	21.72%
Beta (5Y)	0.53	0.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-48.28%	-43.70%
Avg. Volume (3M)	877.28K	1.40M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CCK 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 Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CCK	ECL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.93	0.74
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.46	1.13

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Crown Holdings (CCK) at 27.13% 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.

CCK

Materials industry group

27.13%

Max: 52.88%
CCK: 27.13%
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%

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Crown Holdings (CCK) at 5.78% and Ecolab (ECL) at 11.99% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

CCK

Materials industry group

5.78%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
CCK: 5.78%
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%

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Crown Holdings (CCK) at 11.96% and Ecolab (ECL) at 19.22% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

CCK

Materials industry group

11.96%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
CCK: 11.96%
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%

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CCK	ECL
ROE (TTM)	27.13%	20.77%
ROA (TTM)	7.05%	7.29%
Net Margin (TTM)	5.78%	11.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.96%	19.22%
Gross Margin (TTM)	20.18%	44.04%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Crown Holdings (CCK) at 4.78% and Ecolab (ECL) at 2.16% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Crown Holdings (CCK) at 79.72% and Ecolab (ECL) at -1.22% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CCK	ECL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.78%	2.16%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.51%	4.26%
EPS Growth (YoY)	79.72%	-1.22%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	2.12%	24.09%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Crown Holdings (CCK) at 1.14 and Ecolab (ECL) at 1.11 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

CCK

Materials industry group

1.14

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
CCK: 1.14
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

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Crown Holdings (CCK) at 1.75 and Ecolab (ECL) at 1.33 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

CCK

Materials industry group

1.75

Max: 1.98
CCK: 1.75
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
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

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CCK	ECL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.14	1.11
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.75	1.33
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.57	3.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Crown Holdings (CCK) at 1.08% and Ecolab (ECL) at 0.95% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CCK

Materials industry group

1.08%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
CCK: 1.08%
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%

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Crown Holdings (CCK) at 18.27% and Ecolab (ECL) at 39.73% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

CCK

Materials industry group

18.27%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
CCK: 18.27%
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%

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CCK	ECL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.08%	0.95%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	18.27%	39.73%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Crown Holdings (CCK) at 16.92 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.

CCK

Materials industry group

16.92

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
CCK: 16.92
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

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Crown Holdings (CCK) at 0.95 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.

CCK

Materials industry group

0.95

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
CCK: 0.95
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

Crown Holdings (CCK) 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: Crown Holdings (CCK) at 4.41 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Ecolab (ECL) at 8.09 prices even higher, above its industry range.

CCK

Materials industry group

4.41

Max: 6.59
CCK: 4.41
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

Crown Holdings (CCK) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Crown Holdings (CCK) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CCK	ECL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	16.92	40.91
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.95	4.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.41	8.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	5.53%	1.71%