Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ECL scored 41.8, SHW scored 53.1 — SHW leads.
Compare another set
ECL
Ecolab Inc.
Specialty Chemicals · Quality-Growth
41.8
$281.83 · $79.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
11.3
SHW leads
SHW
The Sherwin-Williams Company
Specialty Chemicals · Quality-Growth
53.1
$319.36 · $77.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestSHW29.4x
Fastest growthSHW+5.8%
Strongest balance sheetECL1.38
Highest qualitySHW78 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
ECL
stronger →← stronger
SHW
70
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
78
50
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
21
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
38
SHW is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ECL
SHW
$1.9bC+
FCF
$3.2bB
+2.2%C
Rev
+5.8%C+
1.38D
D/E
3.90D
37.8xC
P/E
29.4xC+
2.54C
PEG
2.07C
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
ECL
SHW
142% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
66% above
~28%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~18%/yr
-60%
1-yr DCF upside
-41%
-59%
5-yr DCF upside
-40%
-57%
10-yr DCF upside
-37%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
ECL
Why this score
Raising its dividend
Cyclical growth
SHW
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
Cyclical growth
The companies
ECLEcolab Inc.
Specialty Chemicals · $281.83 · beta 0.88
Why now
Specialty Chemicals · market cap $79.0b. 9% off the 52-week high of $309.27. 21 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $325.05 (implying +15% upside).
Moat
Net margin 13% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 22% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. $79.0b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Trailing P/E 38x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
SHWThe Sherwin-Williams Company
Specialty Chemicals · $319.36 · beta 1.08
Why now
Specialty Chemicals · market cap $77.5b. 15% off the 52-week high of $377.77. 23 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $385.87 (implying +21% upside).
Moat
ROE 70% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 120% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash. $77.5b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
D/E 3.90 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where ECL and SHW diverge
On the headline score the gap is 11.3 points in favor of SHW. The widest single difference is Value, where SHW leads by 17.2 points.
ValueECL 20.9 · SHW 38.1SHW +17.2
QualityECL 69.7 · SHW 78.4SHW +8.7
GrowthECL 50.0 · SHW 50.0level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is SHW or ECL the better stock?
SHW scores higher: SHW 53.1, ECL 41.8 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do SHW and ECL differ most?
The widest gap is value, where SHW leads by 17 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. SHW also leads quality, while growth is effectively level between them.
How are SHW and ECL scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.