ECL vs. IP: Ecolab vs. International Paper Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP) 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

Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP) both fall under the Materials industry group, but ECL is classified in Chemicals while IP is classified in Containers & Packaging.

Company profile comparison for Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP)
Profile Item	ECL	IP
Name	Ecolab Inc.	International Paper Co.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Containers & Packaging
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials
Market Capitalization	84.33 billion USD	18.29 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ECL

GSPC

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP), 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 Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	ECL	IP
Total Return (1Y)	20.33%	-2.70%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	21.41%	6.64%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.90%	-2.14%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ECL

GSPC

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP), 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 Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	ECL	IP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	21.72%	42.71%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	0.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-43.70%	-48.61%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.40M	5.09M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ECL and IP 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 Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	ECL	IP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.74	-0.16
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.13	-0.24

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

International Paper (IP) reports a negative ROE of -22.30%; 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.

ECL

Materials industry group

20.77%

Max: 52.88%
ECL: 20.77%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

IP

Materials industry group

-22.30%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
IP: -22.30%
Min: -32.81%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

International Paper (IP) reports a negative net margin of -14.32%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Ecolab (ECL) reports 11.99%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ECL

Materials industry group

11.99%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
ECL: 11.99%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

IP

Materials industry group

-14.32%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
IP: -14.32%
Min: -20.40%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 19.22% and International Paper (IP) at 5.89% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

ECL

Materials industry group

19.22%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
ECL: 19.22%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

IP

Materials industry group

5.89%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
IP: 5.89%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	ECL	IP
ROE (TTM)	20.77%	-22.30%
ROA (TTM)	7.29%	1.60%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.99%	-14.32%
Operating Margin (TTM)	19.22%	5.89%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.04%	29.78%

Growth

Revenue Growth

International Paper (IP) at 49.25% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Ecolab (ECL) at 2.16% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for IP.

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP): 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 International Paper (IP) at -542.68% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	ECL	IP
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.16%	49.25%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.26%	3.75%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-1.22%	-542.68%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	24.09%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 1.11 and International Paper (IP) at 0.99 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

ECL

Materials industry group

1.11

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
ECL: 1.11
Min: 0.16

IP

Materials industry group

0.99

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
IP: 0.99
Min: 0.16

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

International Paper (IP) at 0.79 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Ecolab (ECL) at 1.33 uses more debt funding than most peers.

ECL

Materials industry group

1.33

Max: 1.98
ECL: 1.33
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

IP

Materials industry group

0.79

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
IP: 0.79
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	ECL	IP
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.11	0.99
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.33	0.79
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.09	2.40

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Ecolab (ECL) at 0.95% pays an industry-typical yield; International Paper (IP) at 5.40% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

ECL

Materials industry group

0.95%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
ECL: 0.95%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

IP

Materials industry group

5.40%

IP: 5.40%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

International Paper (IP) reports payout ratio above 100% at 402.17%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Ecolab (ECL) reports 39.73%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ECL

Materials industry group

39.73%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
ECL: 39.73%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

IP

Materials industry group

402.17%

IP: 402.17%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	ECL	IP
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.95%	5.40%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.73%	402.17%

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 International Paper (IP) has no P/E ratio this period.

ECL

Materials industry group

40.91

Max: 59.00
ECL: 40.91
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

IP

Materials industry group

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93
IP: --

Ecolab (ECL) vs. International Paper (IP): IP does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; ECL is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

International Paper (IP) at 0.76 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.

ECL

Materials industry group

4.85

Max: 9.62
ECL: 4.85
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

IP

Materials industry group

0.76

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
IP: 0.76
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

International Paper (IP) at 1.39 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.

ECL

Materials industry group

8.09

ECL: 8.09
Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

IP

Materials industry group

1.39

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
IP: 1.39
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and International Paper (IP)
Metric	ECL	IP
P/E Ratio (TTM)	40.91	--
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.85	0.76
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.09	1.39
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.71%	12.53%