Compare StocksECL vs JNJ

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) vs Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)

ECL
Ecolab Inc.
$259.51
VS
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
$227.19

Rewards

ECL
  • Ecolab Inc. scores 71/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • Free cash flow has grown at a 21.0% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has created $3.10 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
JNJ
  • Johnson & Johnson has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • Gross margin of 68.0% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • Johnson & Johnson scores 90/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.

Risks

ECL
  • PEG ratio of 4.50 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
  • 6 insider sales totaling $11.0M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
JNJ
  • Trailing P/E of 26.3x is 32% above the historical average of 20.0x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
  • PEG ratio of 2.95 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
  • 7 insider sales totaling $58.4M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.

Key Valuation Metrics

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ECL
JNJ
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$19.31B
N/A
FCF Yield
3.53%
35.07
Trailing P/E
26.33
26.98
Forward P/E
17.87
Quality & Moat
11.36%
ROIC
15.32%
20.69%
ROE
33.02%
44.37%
Gross Margin
68.04%
4.50
PEG Ratio
2.95
Balance Sheet Safety
0.91
Debt / Equity
0.68
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
2.13
Net Debt / EBITDA
0.96
1.06%
Dividend Yield
2.36%
ECL: 0Ties: 1JNJ: 9
ECLJNJ

Historical Fundamentals

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ECL

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

JNJ

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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ECL
$9.25
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$3.53B
Δ Market Cap
+$32.62B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
JNJ
$0.91
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Mediocre Allocator
Σ Retained
$40.05B
Δ Market Cap
+$36.63B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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ECL
28.2% Overvalued
Price is 28.2% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $259.51
Fair Value: $202.37
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
JNJ
11.4% Margin of Safety
Price is 11.4% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $227.19
Fair Value: $256.33
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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ECL

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

JNJ

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $227?

+8.8%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +13.2%

The market implies +8.8% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding +13.2%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

Economic Moat Score

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ECL
71/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. ROIC Consistency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
JNJ
90/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Revenue Predictability is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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ECL
-2.50
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
JNJ
-2.31
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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ECL
Insiders 0.2%Institutions 93.7%Retail & Other 6.2%
No. of Institutional Holders2,249
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
JNJ
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 76.2%Retail & Other 23.7%
No. of Institutional Holders5,579
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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ECL
0
Buys (3M)
3
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $486,178
MACLENNAN DAVID W
Director
$193,198
@ $257.60 · 2025-12-08
MACLENNAN DAVID W
Director
$167,108
@ $278.51 · 2025-08-13
MACLENNAN DAVID W
Director
$125,872
@ $251.74 · 2025-05-07
MACLENNAN DAVID W
Director
$105,806
@ $264.51 · 2025-02-13
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
JNJ
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $257,688
MORIKIS JOHN G
Director
$257,688
@ $206.15 · 2025-11-26
WEINBERGER MARK A
Director
$147,220
@ $147.22 · 2024-12-12
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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ECL
6
Sells (3M)
13
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $21.08M
COOK GREGORY B
Officer
$1.07M
@ $304.25 · 2026-02-26
MCKIBBEN TRACY B.
Director
$390,455
@ $308.66 · 2026-02-25
BECK CHRISTOPHE
Chief Executive Officer
$6.15M
@ $307.37 · 2026-02-24
ALFANO NICHOLAS J
Officer
$2.88M
@ $303.58 · 2026-02-17
BRADWAY JENNIFER J
Officer
$185,132
@ $302.01 · 2026-02-13
REICH VICTORIA J
Director
$301,080
@ $301.08 · 2026-02-13
DE BOO ALEXANDER A
Officer
$381,452
@ $268.25 · 2025-11-24
BECK CHRISTOPHE
Chief Executive Officer
$5.68M
@ $261.41 · 2025-11-12
VAUTRINOT SUZANNE M.
Director
$383,401
@ $283.16 · 2025-08-19
BRADWAY JENNIFER J
Officer
$225,379
@ $279.28 · 2025-08-13
REICH VICTORIA J
Director
$352,300
@ $271.00 · 2025-06-12
COOK GREGORY B
Officer
$565,202
@ $253.00 · 2025-05-15
ALFANO NICHOLAS J
Officer
$2.52M
@ $253.75 · 2025-05-07
BERGER LARRY L
Chief Technology Officer
$2.90M
@ $266.95 · 2025-02-26
BRADWAY JENNIFER J
Officer
$228,866
@ $267.37 · 2025-02-25
MCKIBBEN TRACY B.
Director
$451,035
@ $264.69 · 2025-02-14
DUIJSER MACHIEL
Officer
$1.51M
@ $264.04 · 2025-02-13
HIGGINS ARTHUR J
Director
$473,490
@ $263.05 · 2025-02-13
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
JNJ
7
Sells (3M)
12
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $101.23M
DECKER ROBERT J
Officer
$1.01M
@ $247.87 · 2026-02-27
SCHMID TIMOTHY
Officer
$324,763
@ $245.66 · 2026-02-20
SCHMID TIMOTHY
Officer
$5.53M
@ $244.33 · 2026-02-18
SWANSON JAMES D
Chief Technology Officer
$15.11M
@ $243.39 · 2026-02-17
BROADHURST VANESSA
Officer
$1.51M
@ $243.39 · 2026-02-17
REED JOHN C
Officer
$13.11M
@ $243.00 · 2026-02-17
WOLK JOSEPH J
Chief Financial Officer
$21.77M
@ $242.80 · 2026-02-17
REED JOHN C
Officer
$4.19M
@ $192.71 · 2025-10-17
TAUBERT JENNIFER L
Officer
$10.04M
@ $177.81 · 2025-09-04
DUATO JOAQUIN BOIX
Chief Executive Officer
$22.55M
@ $179.21 · 2025-08-22
WOLK JOSEPH J
Chief Financial Officer
$2.98M
@ $176.91 · 2025-08-15
REED JOHN C
Officer
$3.13M
@ $163.55 · 2025-07-17
DECKER ROBERT J
Officer
$1.16M
@ $165.88 · 2025-02-25
SCHMID TIMOTHY
Officer
$62,928
@ $156.15 · 2025-02-18
WOLK JOSEPH J
Chief Financial Officer
$2.00M
@ $153.89 · 2025-02-07
DECKER ROBERT J
Officer
$930,113
@ $165.06 · 2024-08-30
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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ECL
FearGreed
😐Neutral(43/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
JNJ
FearGreed
😐Neutral(57/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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ECL
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (43)
JNJ
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (57)
View ECL Full AnalysisView JNJ Full Analysis