Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. SHW scored 53.1, AXTA scored 52.5 — SHW leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. SHW's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but AXTA's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
SHW
The Sherwin-Williams Company
Specialty Chemicals · Quality-Growth
53.1
$319.36 · $77.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
0.6
SHW leads
AXTA
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd.
Specialty Chemicals · Quality-Growth
52.5
$32.63 · $7.0B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestAXTA20.0x
Fastest growthSHW+5.8%
Strongest balance sheetAXTA1.19
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)
SHW
stronger →← stronger
AXTA
78
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
65
50
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
33
38
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
68
SHW is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
SHW
AXTA
$3.2bB
FCF
$488mC
+5.8%C+
Rev
-2.6%D+
3.90D
D/E
1.19C
29.4xC+
P/E
20.0xB
2.07C
PEG
2.04C
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
SHW
AXTA
66% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
10% above
~18%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~8%/yr
-41%
1-yr DCF upside
-12%
-40%
5-yr DCF upside
-9%
-37%
10-yr DCF upside
-4%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
SHW
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
Cyclical growth
AXTA
Why this score
Buying back stock
The companies
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.
AXTAAxalta Coating Systems Ltd.
Specialty Chemicals · $32.63 · beta 1.26
Why now
Specialty Chemicals · market cap $7.0b. 15% off the 52-week high of $38.61. 15 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $39.27 (implying +20% upside).
Moat
ROE 15% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 132% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
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 SHW and AXTA diverge
On the headline score the gap is 0.6 points in favor of SHW. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueSHW 38.1 · AXTA 67.5AXTA +29.4
GrowthSHW 50.0 · AXTA 33.1SHW +16.9
QualitySHW 78.4 · AXTA 64.6SHW +13.8
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 AXTA the better stock?
SHW scores higher: SHW 53.1, AXTA 52.5 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 AXTA differ most?
The widest gap is value, where AXTA leads by 29 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are SHW and AXTA 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.