Element Solutions holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and valuation adding further support. IMCD still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. On the market side, Element Solutions is in better shape — its trend is intact while IMCD's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Element Solutions's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.
The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Peer scores are normalised within each company's primary universe (ESI: Russell 1000, IMCD.AS: STOXX 600).
This is not just a one-metric split: both profitability and growth materially support the lead. The overall score gap is 9 points in favour of Element Solutions Inc.
Both operate in: Specialty Chemicals
This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. ESI and IMCD.AS share the same industry classification.
For a similarity-based comparison, see how Element Solutions and IMCD each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.
Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.
The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.
Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.
Element Solutions Inc looks stronger, but the price setup still looks more supportive for IMCD N.V..
Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.
Where ESI and IMCD.AS each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.
Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.
The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 6.7-point operating margin advantage.
Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for IMCD, with a forward P/E that is 8.1 turns lower there.
The profitability lead is clear, but pricing and valuation still pull in the other direction — the result holds, but not without friction.
Break down the ESI vs IMCD.AS comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.
Explore how ESI and IMCD.AS 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.
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.