ECL vs. VALE: Ecolab vs. Vale Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Ecolab (ECL) trades as ordinary local shares, while Vale (VALE) 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 Vale (VALE)
Profile Item	ECL	VALE
Name	Ecolab Inc.	Vale S.A. American Depositary Shares
Country/Region	United States	Brazil
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	49.32 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	March 21, 2002
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ECL

VALE

GSPC

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Vale (VALE), 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 Ecolab (ECL) and Vale (VALE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	ECL	VALE
Total Return (1Y)	20.33%	6.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	21.41%	3.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.90%	8.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ECL

VALE

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	ECL	VALE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	21.72%	33.88%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	0.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-43.70%	-49.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.40M	32.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ECL and VALE 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 Vale (VALE)
Metric	ECL	VALE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.74	0.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.13	0.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ecolab (ECL) at 20.77% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Vale (VALE) at 0.26% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

0.26%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
VALE: 0.26%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 11.99% and Vale (VALE) at 1.01% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

1.01%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
VALE: 1.01%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 19.22% and Vale (VALE) at 19.31% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
VALE: 19.31%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	ECL	VALE
ROE (TTM)	20.77%	0.26%
ROA (TTM)	7.29%	6.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.99%	1.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)	19.22%	19.31%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.04%	32.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 2.16% and Vale (VALE) at 0.91% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Ecolab (ECL) at -1.22% and Vale (VALE) at -61.81% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	ECL	VALE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.16%	0.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.26%	-4.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-1.22%	-61.81%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	24.09%	-48.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 1.11 and Vale (VALE) at 1.10 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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.10

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
VALE: 1.10
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Vale (VALE) at 0.55 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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.55

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
VALE: 0.55
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	ECL	VALE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.11	1.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.33	0.55
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.09	1.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Ecolab (ECL) at 0.95% pays an industry-typical yield; Vale (VALE) at 49.02% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

49.02%

VALE: 49.02%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Vale (VALE) reports payout ratio above 100% at 526.96%, 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

526.96%

VALE: 526.96%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	ECL	VALE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.95%	49.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.73%	526.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on trailing earnings: Ecolab (ECL) at 40.91 sits in the richer P/E ratio quartile, and Vale (VALE) at 72.44 is richer still, above its industry range.

ECL

Materials industry group

40.91

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

VALE

Materials industry group

72.44

VALE: 72.44
Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Vale (VALE) at 0.23 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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.23

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
VALE: 0.23
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Vale (VALE) at 1.27 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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.27

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
VALE: 1.27
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	ECL	VALE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	40.91	72.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.85	0.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.09	1.27
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.71%	17.51%