ECL vs. SW: Ecolab vs. Smurfit Westrock Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Ecolab (ECL) and Smurfit Westrock (SW) 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 Smurfit Westrock (SW) both fall under the Materials industry group, but ECL is classified in Chemicals while SW is classified in Containers & Packaging.

Company profile comparison for Ecolab (ECL) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Profile Item	ECL	SW
Name	Ecolab Inc.	Smurfit WestRock Plc
Country/Region	United States	Ireland
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	23.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	June 17, 2008
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ECL

GSPC

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW), 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 Smurfit Westrock (SW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	ECL	SW
Total Return (1Y)	20.33%	29.05%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	21.41%	14.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.90%	-0.16%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ECL

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	ECL	SW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	21.72%	42.69%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	0.89
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-43.70%	-53.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.40M	4.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ECL and SW 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 Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	ECL	SW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.74	0.58
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.13	0.94

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ecolab (ECL) at 20.77% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 2.57% 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%

SW

Materials industry group

2.57%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
SW: 2.57%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 11.99% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.50% 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%

SW

Materials industry group

1.50%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
SW: 1.50%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 19.22% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 6.38% 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%

SW

Materials industry group

6.38%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
SW: 6.38%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	ECL	SW
ROE (TTM)	20.77%	2.57%
ROA (TTM)	7.29%	2.50%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.99%	1.50%
Operating Margin (TTM)	19.22%	6.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.04%	17.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 47.70% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Ecolab (ECL) at 2.16% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for SW.

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Ecolab (ECL) at -1.22% and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 62.20% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	ECL	SW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.16%	47.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.26%	32.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-1.22%	62.20%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	24.09%	-30.01%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.48 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.

ECL

Materials industry group

1.11

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

SW

Materials industry group

1.48

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
SW: 1.48
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.78 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

SW

Materials industry group

0.78

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
SW: 0.78
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	ECL	SW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.11	1.48
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.33	0.78
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.09	2.96

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 4.02% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Ecolab (ECL) at 0.95% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, SW the richer one.

ECL

Materials industry group

0.95%

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

SW

Materials industry group

4.02%

Max: 4.52%
SW: 4.02%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) reports payout ratio above 100% at 198.63%, 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%

SW

Materials industry group

198.63%

SW: 198.63%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Smurfit Westrock (SW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	ECL	SW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.95%	4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.73%	198.63%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 40.91 and Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 48.99 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

SW

Materials industry group

48.99

Max: 59.00
SW: 48.99
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 0.73 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

SW

Materials industry group

0.73

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
SW: 0.73
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Smurfit Westrock (SW) at 1.28 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

SW

Materials industry group

1.28

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
SW: 1.28
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Smurfit Westrock (SW)
Metric	ECL	SW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	40.91	48.99
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.85	0.73
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.09	1.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.71%	4.26%