Seek Returns

DOW vs. ECL: Dow vs. Ecolab Stock Comparison

How do Dow (DOW) 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

Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL) both belong to the Chemicals industry, though DOW is classified under Commodity Chemicals while ECL falls under Specialty Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL)
Profile ItemDOWECL
NameDow Inc.Ecolab Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryChemicalsChemicals
GICS Sub-IndustryCommodity ChemicalsSpecialty Chemicals
Market Capitalization22.73 billion USD84.33 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 20, 2019February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOW
ECL
GSPC
Loading price history…
Dow (DOW) 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL)
MetricDOWECL
Total Return (1Y)46.93%20.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-8.46%21.41%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-6.94%6.90%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOW
ECL
GSPC
Loading price history…
Dow (DOW) 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL)
MetricDOWECL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)41.81%21.72%
Beta (5Y)0.440.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)-64.37%-43.70%
Avg. Volume (3M)8.52M1.40M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
DOW 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 Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL)
MetricDOWECL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.020.74
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.621.13

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative ROE of -3.24%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Ecolab (ECL) reports 20.77%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-3.24%

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
DOW
-3.24%
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%
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative net margin of -2.11%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Ecolab (ECL) reports 11.99%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

-2.11%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
DOW
-2.11%
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%
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Dow (DOW) at 6.78% and Ecolab (ECL) at 19.22% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DOW

Materials industry group

6.78%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
Median
12.56%
DOW
6.78%
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%
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL)
MetricDOWECL
ROE (TTM)-3.24%20.77%
ROA (TTM)1.87%7.29%
Net Margin (TTM)-2.11%11.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)6.78%19.22%
Gross Margin (TTM)11.01%44.04%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ecolab (ECL) at 2.16% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Dow (DOW) at -6.97% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Ecolab (ECL) at -1.22% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Dow (DOW) at -335.67% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL)
MetricDOWECL
Revenue Growth (YoY)-6.97%2.16%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-11.11%4.26%
EPS Growth (YoY)-335.67%-1.22%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--24.09%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Dow (DOW) at 1.76 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.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
DOW
1.76
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
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Dow (DOW) at 1.08 and Ecolab (ECL) at 1.33 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.08

Max
1.98
DOW
1.08
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
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL)
MetricDOWECL
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.761.11
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.081.33
Net Debt / EBITDA3.213.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 4.38% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Ecolab (ECL) at 0.95% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, DOW the richer one.

DOW

Materials industry group

4.38%

Max
4.52%
DOW
4.38%
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%
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports payout ratio above 100% at 700.00%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Ecolab (ECL) reports 39.73%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOW

Materials industry group

700.00%

DOW
700.00%
Max
83.62%
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%
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL)
MetricDOWECL
Dividend Yield (TTM)4.38%0.95%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)700.00%39.73%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Ecolab (ECL) trades at 40.91 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Dow (DOW) has no P/E ratio this period.

DOW

Materials industry group

--

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
DOW
--

ECL

Materials industry group

40.91

Max
59.00
ECL
40.91
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; ECL is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 0.53 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Ecolab (ECL) at 4.85 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

DOW

Materials industry group

0.53

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
DOW
0.53
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
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Dow (DOW) at 1.41 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.

DOW

Materials industry group

1.41

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
DOW
1.41
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
Loading chart…
Dow (DOW) vs. Ecolab (ECL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dow (DOW) and Ecolab (ECL)
MetricDOWECL
P/E Ratio (TTM)--40.91
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.534.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.418.09
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.95%1.71%