Ecolab Inc. (ECL) vs LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB)
Ecolab Inc. and LyondellBasell Industries N.V. are both Specialty Chemicals companies. Ecolab Inc. is the larger, with a market value of $77.2B against $19.6B — 3.9× the size. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. has negative trailing earnings, so its P/E is not meaningful; Ecolab Inc. trades at 37.3×. Ecolab Inc. grew revenue faster over the last twelve months: 7.11% against −1.75%. Ecolab Inc. has the higher net margin (12.6% vs −1.13%) and the higher return on invested capital (9.83% vs 2.87%). Both pay a dividend; LyondellBasell Industries N.V. yields more (5.35% vs 1.06%). Across the 21 metrics below, Ecolab Inc. leads on 13 and LyondellBasell Industries N.V. on 8.
Valuation
Profitability
| Metric | ECL | LYB | Specialty Chemicals median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 44.11% | 12.76% | 29.23% |
| Operating margin | 16.93% | 3.09% | 3.63% |
| Net margin | 12.57% | (1.13%) | 2.89% |
| Free cash flow margin | 11.20% | 5.48% | 3.78% |
| Return on equity | 21.78% | (3.12%) | 3.62% |
| Return on assets | 7.89% | (1.01%) | 0.35% |
| Return on invested capital | 9.83% | 2.87% | 2.75% |
Growth
Health
Dividend
Size
Any metric, up to five companies and an Excel export Powerpack