Ecolab Inc. vs Gold Fields Limited — how do they compare? Ecolab Inc. trades at $273.96 (market cap $76.06B), while Gold Fields Limited trades at $32.2 (market cap $29.07B). The key difference: Ecolab Inc. is far larger — about 2.6× Gold Fields Limited's market cap, and Gold Fields Limited pays the higher dividend (7.03%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ECL | GFI | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $76.06B | $29.07B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Basic Materials |
52-Week High | $308.35 | $61.52 |
52-Week Low | $245.73 | $23.95 |
Enterprise Value | $84.81B | $30.51B |
Dividend Yield | 1.08% | 7.03% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ECL trades at $269.75, down 0.77% on the day, with a bearish technical signal. The stock shows strong fundamentals with 2025 revenue of $16.08B and net income of $2.08B, though recent quarterly EPS results have been mixed. The company recently completed the $4.75B CoolIT acquisition to strengthen its AI cooling portfolio, positioning high-tech as a growth engine. Analyst consensus remains strongly bullish with a $327.43 price target, representing 21% upside potential from current levels.
The outlook is positive given strong analyst support and strategic acquisitions, but risks include execution of the CoolIT integration, rising cost pressures, and mixed quarterly earnings performance. The stock's premium valuation (P/E 36.57) requires sustained earnings growth to justify current levels, making upcoming Q2 2026 results on July 28 critical for near-term direction.
Gold Fields (GFI) trades at $33.33, down 0.6% with a bearish technical signal despite strong fundamental metrics including a P/E of 8.37, net income margin of 40.76%, and ROE of 52.33%. Recent earnings show mixed results with a Q1 2025 beat but subsequent misses. The company demonstrates robust cash flow growth with 2025 operating cash flow projected at $3.8B, while technical indicators show oversold conditions with RSI at 26.87.
GFI presents a compelling value opportunity with attractive valuation multiples and exceptional profitability metrics, though recent earnings misses and bearish technical momentum create near-term uncertainty. The 57% upside to the $52.75 consensus price target suggests significant potential, but investors should monitor operational execution and gold price volatility as key risk factors.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Ecolab produces and markets cleaning and sanitation products for the hospitality, healthcare, and industrial markets. The firm is the global market share leader in this category with a wide array of products and services, including dish and laundry washing systems, pest control, and infection control products. The company has a strong hold on the U.S. market and is looking to increase its profitability abroad. Additionally, Ecolab serves customers in water, manufacturing, and life sciences end markets, selling customized solutions.
Read more on ECL →Gold Fields Ltd is a producer of gold and is a holder of gold reserves and resources in South Africa, Ghana, Australia and Peru. In Peru, the company also produces copper. The company is primarily involved in underground and surface gold and surface copper mining and silver and related activities, including exploration, extraction, processing and smelting. It conducts underground and surface mining operations at St. Ives, underground-only operations at Agnew, Granny Smith and South Deep and surface-only open pit mining at Damang, Tarkwa and Cerro Corona. The company's revenues are derived from the sale of gold that it produces.
Read more on GFI →