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Ecolab vs The Sherwin-Williams Company: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with The Sherwin-Williams Company carrying a narrow edge on growth. Ecolab still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

Growth points more clearly toward Ecolab Inc., even if the broader score still leans toward The Sherwin-Williams Company.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Specialty Chemicals

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

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

Peer-Relative Score
ECL
Ecolab Inc.
62
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
SHW
The Sherwin-Williams Company
64
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

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

The clearest separation appears in growth.

Dimension spread: ECL vs SHW Profitability 55 64 Stability 66 64 Valuation 52 60 Growth 85 69 ECL SHW
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +16
#2 Profitability +9
#3 Valuation +8
#4 Stability +2
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ECL and SHW Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ECLSHW Relative valuation Structural strength

The Sherwin-Williams Company and Ecolab Inc. look relatively close on structure, but the price setup still leans toward The Sherwin-Williams Company.

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

Entry today — historical context

Where ECL and SHW 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 SHW Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 75th 51st
Today SHW sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (51st percentile), while ECL sits higher in its own history (75th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, SHW is at a historically more favourable entry position than ECL. 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 sits higher.
Profitability
Ecolab Inc. sits higher in the group on profitability, adding to the overall structural advantage.
Growth — Dominant Gap
ECL
85
SHW
69
Gap+16in favour of ECL

The main growth separation is clear, driven by a meaningfully stronger expansion profile.

What else supports the lead

Return on equity adds support too, with a 38-point advantage.

What this means for the comparison

Growth points one way, even though the overall score still points the other way.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-and-profitability comparisons

Explore how ECL and SHW 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.