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EL vs. UL: Estée Lauder vs. Unilever Stock Comparison

How do Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL) 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

Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL) are both classified in the Personal Care Products sub-industry within the broader Personal Care Products industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Estée Lauder (EL) trades as ordinary local shares, while Unilever (UL) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL)
Profile ItemELUL
NameThe Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Class A Common StockUnilever PLC Sponsored ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited Kingdom
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupHousehold & Personal ProductsHousehold & Personal Products
GICS IndustryPersonal Care ProductsPersonal Care Products
GICS Sub-IndustryPersonal Care ProductsPersonal Care Products
Market Capitalization37.58 billion USD133.55 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateNovember 17, 1995March 25, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

EL
UL
GSPC
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL), 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 Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL)
MetricELUL
Total Return (1Y)20.44%-10.24%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-12.12%6.34%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-19.98%3.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

EL
UL
GSPC
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL), 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 Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL)
MetricELUL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)48.39%24.04%
Beta (5Y)1.270.42
Max Drawdown (5Y)-85.82%-25.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.20M4.11M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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EL and UL 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 Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL)
MetricELUL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.34-0.60
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.48-0.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 31.87% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Estée Lauder (EL) at 4.75% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for UL.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

4.75%

Max
42.18%
Q3
31.08%
Median
15.43%
EL
4.75%
Q1
4.60%
Min
-28.58%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

31.87%

Max
42.18%
UL
31.87%
Q3
31.08%
Median
15.43%
Q1
4.60%
Min
-28.58%
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their ROE against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 18.32% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while Estée Lauder (EL) at 1.21% keeps a bottom-quartile share.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.21%

Max
18.44%
Q3
11.35%
Median
7.28%
Q1
2.23%
EL
1.21%
Min
-10.42%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

18.32%

Max
18.44%
UL
18.32%
Q3
11.35%
Median
7.28%
Q1
2.23%
Min
-10.42%
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their net margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 20.35% carries a top-quartile operating margin, while Estée Lauder (EL) at 7.00% operates in the bottom quartile.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

7.00%

Max
23.94%
Q3
19.00%
Median
14.26%
Q1
9.75%
EL
7.00%
Min
-2.44%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.35%

Max
23.94%
UL
20.35%
Q3
19.00%
Median
14.26%
Q1
9.75%
Min
-2.44%
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL)
MetricELUL
ROE (TTM)4.75%31.87%
ROA (TTM)5.23%8.29%
Net Margin (TTM)1.21%18.32%
Operating Margin (TTM)7.00%20.35%
Gross Margin (TTM)75.49%47.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Estée Lauder (EL) at 5.05% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Unilever (UL) at -3.77% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Unilever (UL) reports EPS growth of 67.69%, ranked against its industry; Estée Lauder (EL) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL)
MetricELUL
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.05%-3.77%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.84%-5.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)--67.69%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-43.62%8.70%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Estée Lauder (EL) at 1.22 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Unilever (UL) at 0.74 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for UL.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.22

Max
3.94
Q3
3.07
Median
1.80
EL
1.22
Q1
1.01
Min
0.66

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

0.74

Max
3.94
Q3
3.07
Median
1.80
Q1
1.01
UL
0.74
Min
0.66
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Unilever (UL) at 1.75 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Estée Lauder (EL) at 2.43 uses more debt funding than most peers.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.43

Max
3.49
EL
2.43
Q3
2.03
Median
0.81
Q1
0.47
Min
0.06

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.75

Max
3.49
Q3
2.03
UL
1.75
Median
0.81
Q1
0.47
Min
0.06
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL)
MetricELUL
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.220.74
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.431.75
Net Debt / EBITDA2.342.41

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 3.06% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Estée Lauder (EL) at 1.39% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, UL the richer one.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

1.39%

Max
5.99%
Q3
2.98%
Median
1.45%
EL
1.39%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

3.06%

Max
5.99%
UL
3.06%
Q3
2.98%
Median
1.45%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Estée Lauder (EL) reports payout ratio above 100% at 280.00%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Unilever (UL) reports 76.51%, ranking against industry peers normally.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

280.00%

EL
280.00%
Max
103.12%
Q3
82.28%
Median
56.44%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

76.51%

Max
103.12%
Q3
82.28%
UL
76.51%
Median
56.44%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL)
MetricELUL
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.39%3.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)280.00%76.51%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Unilever (UL) at 20.95 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Estée Lauder (EL) at 207.72 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for EL’s trailing earnings.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

207.72

EL
207.72
Max
34.17
Q3
29.61
Median
20.95
Q1
17.29
Min
6.44

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

20.95

Max
34.17
Q3
29.61
UL
20.95
Median
20.95
Q1
17.29
Min
6.44
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Estée Lauder (EL) at 2.50 and Unilever (UL) at 2.64 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.50

Max
4.22
Q3
3.29
EL
2.50
Median
1.96
Q1
0.70
Min
0.24

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

2.64

Max
4.22
Q3
3.29
UL
2.64
Median
1.96
Q1
0.70
Min
0.24
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Unilever (UL) at 7.08 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Estée Lauder (EL) at 9.87 carries an above-peer premium to book — EL is pricier on assets.

EL

Household & Personal Products industry group

9.87

Max
18.65
EL
9.87
Q3
9.23
Median
4.12
Q1
1.44
Min
-2.65

UL

Household & Personal Products industry group

7.08

Max
18.65
Q3
9.23
UL
7.08
Median
4.12
Q1
1.44
Min
-2.65
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Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Household & Personal Products industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Estée Lauder (EL) and Unilever (UL)
MetricELUL
P/E Ratio (TTM)207.7220.95
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.502.64
P/B Ratio (MRQ)9.877.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.82%5.04%