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The Estée Lauder Companies vs UPM-Kymmene Oyj: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

UPM-Kymmene Oyj holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across stability and profitability. The Estée Lauder Companies still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup broadly confirms the structural lead — UPM-Kymmene Oyj holds the more constructive position. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — UPM-Kymmene Oyj'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 (EL: S&P 500, UPM.HE: STOXX 600).

Updated 2026-05-17

This is not just a one-metric split: both stability and profitability materially support the lead. UPM-Kymmene Oyj leads by 23 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.72
Similar
Peer-set rank: #9
within The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.'s functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

Most of the shared profile comes through operating margin level and revenue stability.

Similarity drivers
operating margin levelrevenue stability
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
EL
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
41
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
UPM.HE
UPM-Kymmene Oyj
64
Peer-Score
Signal qualityMedium
Peer basis: STOXX 600

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

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: EL vs UPM.HE Profitability 31 67 Stability 17 68 Valuation 63 53 Growth 45 71 EL UPM.HE
Gap Ranking
#1 Stability +51
#2 Profitability +36
#3 Growth +26
#4 Valuation +10
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for EL and UPM.HE Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer ELUPM.HE Relative valuation Structural strength

UPM-Kymmene Oyj looks stronger on relative valuation, while the broader price setup remains mixed.

Valuation position uses Forward P/E and peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where EL and UPM.HE each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY EL Lower · above norm 0th 50th 100th 20 pct gap UPM.HE Neutral · near norm 0th 50th 100th 15th 36th
Today EL sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (15th percentile), while UPM.HE sits higher in its own history (36th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, EL is at a historically more favourable entry position than UPM.HE. 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
Stability
UPM-Kymmene Oyj ranks near the top of the group on stability; The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Profitability
The same broad pattern appears on profitability: UPM-Kymmene Oyj ranks near the top of the group, while The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. stays in the weaker half.
Stability — Dominant Gap
EL
17
UPM.HE
68
Gap+51in favour of UPM.HE

The stability gap is very wide, with the stronger side looking materially steadier through time.

What else supports the lead

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 12.7-point ROIC advantage.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both stability and profitability — though valuation still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the EL vs UPM.HE comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar stability-and-profitability comparisons

Explore how EL and UPM.HE 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.