ECL vs. MT: Ecolab vs. ArcelorMittal Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Ecolab (ECL) and ArcelorMittal (MT) 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 ArcelorMittal (MT) both fall under the Materials industry group, but ECL is classified in Chemicals while MT is classified in Metals & Mining.

Ecolab (ECL) trades as ordinary local shares, while ArcelorMittal (MT) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Ecolab (ECL) and ArcelorMittal (MT)
Profile Item	ECL	MT
Name	Ecolab Inc.	ArcelorMittal NY Registry Shares
Country/Region	United States	Luxembourg
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Steel
Market Capitalization	84.33 billion USD	45.85 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	August 7, 1997
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ECL

GSPC

Ecolab (ECL) vs. ArcelorMittal (MT), 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 ArcelorMittal (MT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and ArcelorMittal (MT)
Metric	ECL	MT
Total Return (1Y)	20.33%	65.49%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	21.41%	45.03%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.90%	16.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ECL

GSPC

Ecolab (ECL) vs. ArcelorMittal (MT), 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 ArcelorMittal (MT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and ArcelorMittal (MT)
Metric	ECL	MT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	21.72%	44.08%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	1.49
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-43.70%	-45.99%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.40M	1.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ECL and MT 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 ArcelorMittal (MT)
Metric	ECL	MT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.74	1.39
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.13	2.23

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ecolab (ECL) at 20.77% sits in the top ROE quartile, while ArcelorMittal (MT) at 1.83% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ECL.

ECL

Materials industry group

20.77%

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

MT

Materials industry group

1.83%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
MT: 1.83%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 11.99% and ArcelorMittal (MT) at 1.64% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

ECL

Materials industry group

11.99%

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

MT

Materials industry group

1.64%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
MT: 1.64%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 19.22% and ArcelorMittal (MT) at 6.16% 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%

MT

Materials industry group

6.16%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
MT: 6.16%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and ArcelorMittal (MT)
Metric	ECL	MT
ROE (TTM)	20.77%	1.83%
ROA (TTM)	7.29%	1.31%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.99%	1.64%
Operating Margin (TTM)	19.22%	6.16%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.04%	8.16%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ecolab (ECL) at 2.16% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while ArcelorMittal (MT) at -1.74% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

ArcelorMittal (MT) at 143.20% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Ecolab (ECL) at -1.22% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for MT.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and ArcelorMittal (MT)
Metric	ECL	MT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.16%	-1.74%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.26%	-8.41%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-1.22%	143.20%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	24.09%	-26.09%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 1.11 and ArcelorMittal (MT) at 1.41 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

MT

Materials industry group

1.41

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
MT: 1.41
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

ArcelorMittal (MT) at 0.24 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

MT

Materials industry group

0.24

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
MT: 0.24
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and ArcelorMittal (MT)
Metric	ECL	MT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.11	1.41
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.33	0.24
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.09	2.08

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 0.95% and ArcelorMittal (MT) at 0.99% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

ECL

Materials industry group

0.95%

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

MT

Materials industry group

0.99%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
MT: 0.99%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Ecolab (ECL) at 39.73% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while ArcelorMittal (MT) at 52.92% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

ECL

Materials industry group

39.73%

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

MT

Materials industry group

52.92%

Max: 83.62%
MT: 52.92%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and ArcelorMittal (MT)
Metric	ECL	MT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.95%	0.99%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.73%	52.92%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 40.91 and ArcelorMittal (MT) at 44.51 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

ECL

Materials industry group

40.91

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

MT

Materials industry group

44.51

Max: 59.00
MT: 44.51
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

ArcelorMittal (MT) at 0.72 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.

ECL

Materials industry group

4.85

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

MT

Materials industry group

0.72

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
MT: 0.72
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

ArcelorMittal (MT) at 1.70 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

MT

Materials industry group

1.70

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
MT: 1.70
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and ArcelorMittal (MT)
Metric	ECL	MT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	40.91	44.51
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.85	0.72
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.09	1.70
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.71%	-1.75%