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Ecolab vs Element Solutions: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Ecolab holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and valuation. Element Solutions does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. In the market, Element Solutions carries the stronger setup — intact trend against Ecolab's broken trend. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Ecolab, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

This is not just a one-metric split: both growth and valuation materially support the lead. The overall score gap is 19 points in favour of Ecolab Inc..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Specialty Chemicals

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. ECL and ESI share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Ecolab and Element Solutions each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
ECL
Ecolab Inc.
63
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
ESI
Element Solutions Inc
44
Peer-Score
Signal qualityHigh
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: ECL vs ESI Profitability 55 55 Stability 66 47 Valuation 54 27 Growth 85 50 ECL ESI
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +35
#2 Valuation +27
#3 Stability +19
#4 Profitability
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ECL and ESI Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ECLESI Relative valuation Structural strength

Ecolab Inc. looks stronger on relative valuation, while the broader price setup remains mixed.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where ECL and ESI each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY ECL Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 24 pct gap ESI Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 75th 99th
Today ECL sits in the upper portion of its own 5-year history (75th percentile), while ESI sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, ECL is at a historically more favourable entry position than ESI. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Both rank well on growth, but Ecolab Inc. still holds a clear edge.
Valuation
Ecolab Inc. sits in the stronger part of the group on valuation, while Element Solutions Inc is closer to mid-pack.
Growth — Dominant Gap
ECL
85
ESI
50
Gap+35in favour of ECL

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Element Solutions Inc still looks less cycle-sensitive — that keeps the result from looking completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and valuation, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the ECL vs ESI comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how ECL and ESI each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.