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CL vs. GIS: Colgate-Palmolive vs. General Mills Stock Comparison

How do Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS) 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

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS) share the Consumer Staples sector but sit in different industry groups — CL in Household & Personal Products and GIS in Food, Beverage & Tobacco.

Company profile comparison for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS)
Profile ItemCLGIS
NameColgate-Palmolive Co.General Mills Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupHousehold & Personal ProductsFood, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS IndustryHousehold ProductsFood Products
GICS Sub-IndustryHousehold ProductsPackaged Foods & Meats
Market Capitalization76.76 billion USD18.99 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMay 2, 1973March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CL
GIS
GSPC
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS), 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 Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS)
MetricCLGIS
Total Return (1Y)26.99%-20.22%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)11.69%-14.80%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)7.10%-7.41%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CL
GIS
GSPC
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS), 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 Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

General Mills (GIS) reports a negative beta of -0.01, suggesting inverse market sensitivity over the measurement window. That is uncommon for ordinary equities and can reflect commodity-linked or hedge-like exposure, but it can also come from statistical noise. Colgate-Palmolive (CL) has a non-negative beta of 0.30.

Risk profile metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS)
MetricCLGIS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)23.50%30.85%
Beta (5Y)0.30-0.01
Max Drawdown (5Y)-29.05%-59.63%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.79M9.41M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CL and GIS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS)
MetricCLGIS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.97-0.79
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.51-1.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

General Mills (GIS) reports a negative ROE of -10.50%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Colgate-Palmolive (CL) reports 231.74%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

231.74%

CL
231.74%
Max
42.18%
Q3
31.87%
Median
17.80%
Q1
9.28%
Min
-14.64%

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

-10.50%

Max
32.02%
Q3
16.61%
Median
10.05%
Q1
4.10%
GIS
-10.50%
Min
-10.50%
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

General Mills (GIS) reports a negative net margin of -4.89%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Colgate-Palmolive (CL) reports 9.65%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

9.65%

Max
23.47%
Q3
12.19%
CL
9.65%
Median
8.50%
Q1
3.08%
Min
-9.74%

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

-4.89%

Max
24.83%
Q3
11.22%
Median
5.94%
Q1
2.05%
GIS
-4.89%
Min
-11.49%
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 20.38% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of General Mills (GIS) at 15.24%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.38%

Max
23.94%
CL
20.38%
Q3
17.03%
Median
13.15%
Q1
10.58%
Min
1.87%

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

15.24%

Max
34.91%
Q3
17.57%
GIS
15.24%
Median
11.06%
Q1
4.15%
Min
-15.06%
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS)
MetricCLGIS
ROE (TTM)231.74%-10.50%
ROA (TTM)16.05%5.65%
Net Margin (TTM)9.65%-4.89%
Operating Margin (TTM)20.38%15.24%
Gross Margin (TTM)60.64%33.73%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 1.40% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while General Mills (GIS) at -5.45% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at -25.07% and General Mills (GIS) at -103.90% post bottom-quartile EPS growth versus peers, pointing to weaker earnings momentum than typical rivals.

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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS)
MetricCLGIS
Revenue Growth (YoY)1.40%-5.45%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.29%-2.85%
EPS Growth (YoY)-25.07%-103.90%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)7.28%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 0.96 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while General Mills (GIS) at 0.70 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for GIS.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

0.96

Max
4.26
Q3
2.82
Median
1.84
CL
0.96
Q1
0.92
Min
0.65

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.70

Max
4.01
Q3
2.35
Median
1.53
Q1
1.02
GIS
0.70
Min
0.33
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but CL is more stretched: General Mills (GIS) at 1.82 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 12.06 is above its industry benchmark range.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

12.06

CL
12.06
Max
2.30
Q3
2.12
Median
0.81
Q1
0.50
Min
0.01

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.82

Max
2.19
GIS
1.82
Q3
1.11
Median
0.68
Q1
0.33
Min
0.00
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS)
MetricCLGIS
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.960.70
Debt / Equity (MRQ)12.061.82
Net Debt / EBITDA1.213.86

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

General Mills (GIS) at 6.69% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 2.13% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, GIS the richer one.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.13%

Max
5.00%
Q3
2.47%
CL
2.13%
Median
1.30%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

6.69%

Max
9.38%
GIS
6.69%
Q3
3.77%
Median
1.76%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

General Mills (GIS) at 59.41% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 81.71% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

81.71%

Max
140.00%
CL
81.71%
Q3
73.75%
Median
46.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

59.41%

Max
199.19%
Q3
81.03%
GIS
59.41%
Median
41.52%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS)
MetricCLGIS
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.13%6.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)81.71%59.41%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Colgate-Palmolive (CL) trades at 37.57 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while General Mills (GIS) has no P/E ratio this period.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

37.57

CL
37.57
Max
37.57
Q3
33.54
Median
20.03
Q1
15.76
Min
6.45

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

--

Max
52.52
Q3
30.78
Median
18.76
Q1
12.77
Min
4.72
GIS
--
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): GIS does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; CL is benchmarked against the Household & Personal Products industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

General Mills (GIS) at 1.04 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 3.61 sits in the pricier quartile — CL costs more per dollar of sales.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

3.61

Max
4.36
CL
3.61
Q3
3.57
Median
1.68
Q1
0.76
Min
0.30

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.04

Max
4.64
Q3
2.27
Median
1.17
GIS
1.04
Q1
0.52
Min
0.00
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

General Mills (GIS) at 2.55 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Colgate-Palmolive (CL) at 266.74 prices above its benchmark range — CL looks rich relative to book.

CL

Household & Personal Products industry group

266.74

CL
266.74
Max
12.30
Q3
7.43
Median
3.44
Q1
1.30
Min
-3.91

GIS

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.55

Max
6.35
Q3
3.07
GIS
2.55
Median
1.58
Q1
0.82
Min
0.00
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Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. General Mills (GIS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Household & Personal Products and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and General Mills (GIS)
MetricCLGIS
P/E Ratio (TTM)37.57--
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.611.04
P/B Ratio (MRQ)266.742.55
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.40%6.86%