ECL vs SQM
Ecolab and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, side by side.
Prices and company dataas of yesterday's close
- ECLKeepsales growth, past year9.3%
Ecolab's sales grew 9.3% over the past year and analysts expect profit to grow 15% next year.
- SQMKeepsales growth, past year59%
Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's sales grew 59% over the past year, but analysts expect profit to fall 7.7% next year.
Percent return
- ECL+18.76%
- SQM+9.13%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: ECL $79.9B, SQM $8.22B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: ECL +9.3%, SQM +59%. SQM is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: ECL $34, SQM $7. SQM is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: ECL 18¢, SQM 39¢. SQM is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: ECL −$13.2B, SQM −$965M. SQM is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: ECL +19%, SQM +9.1%. ECL is ahead. S&P 500 +12%.
- How much the price swings: ECL 21%, SQM 40%. ECL is ahead.
| Measure | ECLEcolab | SQMSociedad Química y Minera de Chile |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $307.81 | $54.75 |
| Today | +0.58% | +0.58% |
| 1 month | Best in this row: +9.24% | −14.35% |
| 3 months | Best in this row: +8.43% | −22.75% |
| This year | Best in this row: +18.22% | −17.99% |
| 1 year | Best in this row: +18.76% | +9.13% |
| 5 years | Best in this row: +40.07% | +3.59% |
| From 52-week high | −2.3% | −41.0% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | Best in this row: 21% | 40% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $79.9B | $8.22B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | 38.5× | Best in this row: 11.9× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | 33.7× | Best in this row: 7.3× |
| Price vs earnings, adjusted for growth | 2.34× | – |
| Price to sales | 4.8× | Best in this row: 2.4× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | 47.0× | Best in this row: 8.4× |
| Company value vs operating profit | 22.8× | Best in this row: 5.8× |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | +9.3% | Best in this row: +59.0% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | Best in this row: +4.3% | −24.7% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | +0.4% | Best in this row: +135.9% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | Best in this row: +15.3% | −7.7% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | Best in this row: 44.0% | 42.2% |
| Kept as operating profit | 18.5% | Best in this row: 38.7% |
| Kept as final profit | 12.0% | Best in this row: 20.6% |
| Kept as spare cash | 10.3% | Best in this row: 29.1% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | 20.8% | Best in this row: 21.8% |
| Profit on all money put in | 12.1% | Best in this row: 16.9% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | −$13.2B | Best in this row: −$965M |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | 1.33× | Best in this row: 0.61× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | 1.11× | Best in this row: 2.61× |
| Dividend yield | 0.97% | Best in this row: 4.99% |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | 40% | Best in this row: 34% |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | Keep | Keep |
| Why | Ecolab's sales grew 9.3% over the past year and analysts expect profit to grow 15% next year. | Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's sales grew 59% over the past year, but analysts expect profit to fall 7.7% next year. |
| Where the price sits | in the full report | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | 55 | Best in this row: 70 |
| Our value score | 31 | Best in this row: 89 |
| Our growth score | 46 | Best in this row: 60 |
| Our quality score | 78 | Best in this row: 80 |
| Our price trend score | Best in this row: 66 | 62 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Next earnings | – | Nov 17AMCin 5 days |
| Analyst consensus | Buy | Buy |
| To average analyst target | +7.1% | Best in this row: +56.5% |
| Average analyst target | $329.64 | $85.67 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | Best in this row: 83% | 56% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | 0 | Best in this row: +2 |
| Analysts covering | 12 | 5 |
SQM: faster growth at a lower P/E
Our pick of these: Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile
Sales growth +59.0% vs +9.3%
ECL +9.3%, SQM +59.0%.Forward P/E per point of sales growth 0.12 vs 3.61
ECL 3.61, SQM 0.12.+56.5% to the average analyst target, vs +7.1%
ECL +7.1%, SQM +56.5%.Where it loses: ECL has a better past year, +18.8% vs +9.1%
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Prices as of yesterday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.