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Element Solutions vs PPG Industries: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

PPG Industries holds the cleaner structural position, with valuation as the main driver and growth adding further support. Element Solutions still has the edge on stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. In the market, Element Solutions carries the stronger setup — intact trend against PPG Industries's broken trend. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with PPG Industries, 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

The comparison is mainly decided in valuation, with the rest of the profile carrying less weight. PPG Industries, Inc. leads by 21 points on the overall comparison score.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Specialty Chemicals

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

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

Peer-Relative Score
ESI
Element Solutions Inc
44
Peer-Score
Signal qualityHigh
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
PPG
PPG Industries, Inc.
65
Peer-Score
Signal qualityMedium
Peer basis: Russell 1000

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

Pricing shapes this comparison more than a broad operating gap.

Dimension spread: ESI vs PPG Profitability 55 61 Stability 47 35 Valuation 27 88 Growth 50 65 ESI PPG
Gap Ranking
#1 Valuation +61
#2 Growth +15
#3 Stability +12
#4 Profitability +6
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for ESI and PPG Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ESIPPG Relative valuation Structural strength

The two profiles are relatively close, but the price setup still leans toward PPG Industries, Inc..

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY ESI Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 89 pct gap PPG Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 10th
Today PPG sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (10th percentile), while ESI sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, PPG 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
Valuation
On valuation, PPG Industries, Inc. ranks near the top of the group; Element Solutions Inc sits in the weaker half.
Growth
On growth, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but PPG Industries, Inc. still sits higher.
Valuation — Dominant Gap
ESI
27
PPG
88
Gap+61in favour of PPG

The multiple-based pricing edge comes from a forward P/E that is 9.5 turns lower.

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

Valuation is the clearest driver of the lead, with growth adding further support — though stability still provides a real counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Similar valuation-driven comparisons

Explore how ESI and PPG 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.