ECL vs. WPM: Ecolab vs. Wheaton Precious Metals Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Ecolab (ECL) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Profile Item	ECL	WPM
Name	Ecolab Inc.	Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.
Country/Region	United States	Canada
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Gold
Market Capitalization	84.33 billion USD	61.91 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 21, 1973	July 6, 2005
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ECL

WPM

GSPC

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ecolab (ECL) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ECL	WPM
Total Return (1Y)	20.33%	45.35%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	21.41%	50.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.90%	29.06%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ECL

WPM

GSPC

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ECL	WPM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	21.72%	52.11%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	0.49
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-43.70%	-43.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.40M	2.01M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ECL and WPM 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ECL	WPM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.74	0.79
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.13	1.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 20.77% and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 23.10% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

ECL

Materials industry group

20.77%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

23.10%

Max: 52.88%
WPM: 23.10%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 60.39% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Ecolab (ECL) at 11.99% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

ECL

Materials industry group

11.99%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

60.39%

WPM: 60.39%
Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 66.70% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Ecolab (ECL) at 19.22%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ECL

Materials industry group

19.22%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

66.70%

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

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ECL	WPM
ROE (TTM)	20.77%	23.10%
ROA (TTM)	7.29%	15.22%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.99%	60.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)	19.22%	66.70%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.04%	86.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 80.18% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Ecolab (ECL) at 2.16% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for WPM.

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 177.85% 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 WPM.

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ECL	WPM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.16%	80.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.26%	29.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-1.22%	177.85%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	24.09%	29.83%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 1.11 and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.57 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

WPM

Materials industry group

0.57

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
WPM: 0.57
Min: 0.16

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.16 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

WPM

Materials industry group

0.16

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
WPM: 0.16
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ECL	WPM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.11	0.57
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.33	0.16
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.09	0.50

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 0.95% and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.57% 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%

WPM

Materials industry group

0.57%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
WPM: 0.57%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Ecolab (ECL) at 39.73% and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 16.29% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

ECL

Materials industry group

39.73%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

16.29%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
WPM: 16.29%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ECL	WPM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.95%	0.57%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.73%	16.29%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 29.63 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Ecolab (ECL) at 40.91 sits in the richer quartile — ECL needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

ECL

Materials industry group

40.91

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

WPM

Materials industry group

29.63

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
WPM: 29.63
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Ecolab (ECL) at 4.85 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 17.86 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ECL

Materials industry group

4.85

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

WPM

Materials industry group

17.86

WPM: 17.86
Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 6.17 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Ecolab (ECL) at 8.09 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ECL

Materials industry group

8.09

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

WPM

Materials industry group

6.17

Max: 6.59
WPM: 6.17
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Ecolab (ECL) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ecolab (ECL) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ECL	WPM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	40.91	29.63
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.85	17.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.09	6.17
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.71%	-5.11%