CF vs. ECL: CF Industries vs. Ecolab Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do CF Industries (CF) 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

CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL) both belong to the Chemicals industry, though CF is classified under Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals while ECL falls under Specialty Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL)
Profile Item	CF	ECL
Name	CF Industries Holdings, Inc.	Ecolab Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals	Specialty Chemicals
Market Capitalization	17.46 billion USD	84.33 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 11, 2005	February 21, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ECL

GSPC

CF Industries (CF) 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 CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CF	ECL
Total Return (1Y)	49.36%	20.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.00%	21.41%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.09%	6.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ECL

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CF	ECL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.66%	21.72%
Beta (5Y)	0.56	0.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-48.36%	-43.70%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.49M	1.40M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CF 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 CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CF	ECL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.03	0.74
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.59	1.13

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 30.86% 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.

CF

Materials industry group

30.86%

Max: 52.88%
CF: 30.86%
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%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 27.48% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Ecolab (ECL) at 11.99%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CF

Materials industry group

27.48%

Max: 38.66%
CF: 27.48%
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%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 34.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Ecolab (ECL) at 19.22%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CF

Materials industry group

34.36%

Max: 66.70%
CF: 34.36%
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%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CF	ECL
ROE (TTM)	30.86%	20.77%
ROA (TTM)	12.61%	7.29%
Net Margin (TTM)	27.48%	11.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)	34.36%	19.22%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.52%	44.04%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both CF Industries (CF) at 19.34% 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.

CF Industries (CF) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both CF Industries (CF) at 33.09% 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.

CF Industries (CF) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CF	ECL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	19.34%	2.16%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-14.12%	4.26%
EPS Growth (YoY)	33.09%	-1.22%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-18.19%	24.09%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

CF Industries (CF) at 2.98 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.

CF

Materials industry group

2.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
CF: 2.98
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

CF Industries (CF) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

CF Industries (CF) at 0.41 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Ecolab (ECL) at 1.33 uses more debt funding than most peers.

CF

Materials industry group

0.41

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
CF: 0.41
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

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CF	ECL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.98	1.11
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.41	1.33
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.21	3.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 1.77% and Ecolab (ECL) at 0.95% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CF

Materials industry group

1.77%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
CF: 1.77%
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%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 14.81% 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.

CF

Materials industry group

14.81%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
CF: 14.81%
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%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CF	ECL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.77%	0.95%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	14.81%	39.73%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 8.42 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Ecolab (ECL) at 40.91 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

CF

Materials industry group

8.42

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
CF: 8.42
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 2.20 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.

CF

Materials industry group

2.20

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
CF: 2.20
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

CF Industries (CF) at 3.10 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Ecolab (ECL) at 8.09 prices above its benchmark range — ECL looks rich relative to book.

CF

Materials industry group

3.10

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
CF: 3.10
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Ecolab (ECL)
Metric	CF	ECL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	8.42	40.91
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.20	4.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.10	8.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	9.10%	1.71%