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CLX vs. UL: Clorox vs. Unilever Stock Comparison

How do Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL) 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

Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL) both fall under the Household & Personal Products industry group, but CLX is classified in Household Products while UL is classified in Personal Care Products.

Clorox (CLX) trades as ordinary local shares, while Unilever (UL) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL)
Profile ItemCLXUL
NameThe Clorox CompanyUnilever PLC Sponsored ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited Kingdom
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupHousehold & Personal ProductsHousehold & Personal Products
GICS IndustryHousehold ProductsPersonal Care Products
GICS Sub-IndustryHousehold ProductsPersonal Care Products
Market Capitalization12.09 billion USD142.12 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973March 25, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CLX
UL
GSPC
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL), 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 Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL)
MetricCLXUL
Total Return (1Y)1.37%-1.52%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-4.10%10.42%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-5.63%5.65%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CLX
UL
GSPC
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL), 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 Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL)
MetricCLXUL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)32.57%25.29%
Beta (5Y)0.530.42
Max Drawdown (5Y)-49.09%-25.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.88M3.57M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CLX and UL 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 Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL)
MetricCLXUL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.09-0.23
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.12-0.34

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Clorox (CLX) at 534.36% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Unilever (UL) at 31.87%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

534.36%

CLX
534.36%
Max
42.18%
Q3
31.87%
Median
17.80%
Q1
9.28%
Min
-14.64%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

31.87%

Max
42.18%
UL
31.87%
Q3
31.87%
Median
17.80%
Q1
9.28%
Min
-14.64%
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their ROE against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 18.32% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Clorox (CLX) at 9.41%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

9.41%

Max
23.47%
Q3
12.19%
CLX
9.41%
Median
8.50%
Q1
3.08%
Min
-9.74%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

18.32%

Max
23.47%
UL
18.32%
Q3
12.19%
Median
8.50%
Q1
3.08%
Min
-9.74%
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their net margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 20.35% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Clorox (CLX) at 13.54%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

13.54%

Max
23.94%
Q3
17.03%
CLX
13.54%
Median
13.15%
Q1
10.58%
Min
1.87%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.35%

Max
23.94%
UL
20.35%
Q3
17.03%
Median
13.15%
Q1
10.58%
Min
1.87%
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL)
MetricCLXUL
ROE (TTM)534.36%31.87%
ROA (TTM)9.62%8.29%
Net Margin (TTM)9.41%18.32%
Operating Margin (TTM)13.54%20.35%
Gross Margin (TTM)41.94%47.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Clorox (CLX) at -5.41% and Unilever (UL) at -3.77% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Unilever (UL) reports EPS growth of 67.69%, ranked against its industry; Clorox (CLX) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL)
MetricCLXUL
Revenue Growth (YoY)-5.41%-3.77%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-3.11%-5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)--67.69%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)58.85%8.70%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Clorox (CLX) at 0.65 and Unilever (UL) at 0.74 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

0.65

Max
4.26
Q3
2.82
Median
1.84
Q1
0.92
CLX
0.65
Min
0.65

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

0.74

Max
4.26
Q3
2.82
Median
1.84
Q1
0.92
UL
0.74
Min
0.65
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Unilever (UL) at 1.75 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Clorox (CLX) at 46.23 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

46.23

CLX
46.23
Max
2.30
Q3
2.12
Median
0.81
Q1
0.50
Min
0.01

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.75

Max
2.30
Q3
2.12
UL
1.75
Median
0.81
Q1
0.50
Min
0.01
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL)
MetricCLXUL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.650.74
Debt / Equity (MRQ)46.231.75
Net Debt / EBITDA4.172.41

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Clorox (CLX) at 5.00% and Unilever (UL) at 2.79% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

5.00%

CLX
5.00%
Max
5.00%
Q3
2.47%
Median
1.30%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.79%

Max
5.00%
UL
2.79%
Q3
2.47%
Median
1.30%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 46.43% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Clorox (CLX) at 89.39% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

89.39%

Max
140.00%
CLX
89.39%
Q3
73.75%
Median
46.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

46.43%

Max
140.00%
Q3
73.75%
UL
46.43%
Median
46.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL)
MetricCLXUL
Dividend Yield (TTM)5.00%2.79%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)89.39%46.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 13.33 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Clorox (CLX) at 17.98 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for UL, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

17.98

Max
37.57
Q3
33.54
Median
20.03
CLX
17.98
Q1
15.76
Min
6.45

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

13.33

Max
37.57
Q3
33.54
Median
20.03
Q1
15.76
UL
13.33
Min
6.45
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Clorox (CLX) at 1.68 and Unilever (UL) at 2.81 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.68

Max
4.36
Q3
3.57
CLX
1.68
Median
1.68
Q1
0.76
Min
0.30

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.81

Max
4.36
Q3
3.57
UL
2.81
Median
1.68
Q1
0.76
Min
0.30
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Clorox (CLX) reports a negative P/B ratio of -310.43, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Unilever (UL) reports 7.81, ranking against industry peers normally.

CLX

Household & Personal Products industry group

-310.43

Max
12.30
Q3
7.43
Median
3.44
Q1
1.30
Min
-3.91
CLX
-310.43

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

7.81

Max
12.30
UL
7.81
Q3
7.43
Median
3.44
Q1
1.30
Min
-3.91
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Clorox (CLX) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Clorox (CLX) and Unilever (UL)
MetricCLXUL
P/E Ratio (TTM)17.9813.33
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.682.81
P/B Ratio (MRQ)-310.437.81
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.71%4.74%