Ecolab Inc. vs Gold Fields Limited — how do they compare? Ecolab Inc. trades at $285.5 (market cap $79.73B), while Gold Fields Limited trades at $40.67 (market cap $36.72B). The key difference: Ecolab Inc. is far larger — about 2.2× Gold Fields Limited's market cap, and Gold Fields Limited pays the higher dividend (5.64%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ECL | GFI | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $79.73B | $36.72B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Basic Materials |
52-Week High | $308.35 | $61.52 |
52-Week Low | $245.73 | $29.31 |
Enterprise Value | $88.51B | $38.16B |
Dividend Yield | 1.03% | 5.64% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ECL trades at $285.17, up 0.6% today, with a bullish technical signal and strong analyst support. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $2.09, beating estimates, and raised full-year guidance. Revenue growth remains steady, with a net income margin of 12.57% and robust cash flow from operations of $2.95B in 2025. Recent news highlights dividend declarations and institutional buying interest.
Outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $327.90, implying 15% upside. Risks include elevated valuation multiples and potential margin pressure from input costs. The stock's momentum is supported by earnings beats and strategic acquisitions, but investors should monitor debt levels and competitive dynamics in the water and hygiene sector.
Gold Fields (GFI) trades at $40.82, up 9.32% in 24 hours, reflecting strong momentum near recent highs. The stock shows a bullish technical signal with moving averages supporting upward trends, though RSI levels indicate potential overbought conditions. Fundamentally, GFI exhibits robust profitability with a 40.76% net income margin and attractive valuation metrics, including a P/E of 10.36. Recent earnings have been mixed, with a Q1 2025 beat but subsequent misses, while 2025 revenue is projected to surge to $8.8B. Institutional interest is evident with Allspring Global increasing its stake by 62.3% in Q1 2026 (SEC filing, 2026-07-18).
The outlook for GFI is positive, driven by strong gold prices and operational growth, with a consensus price target of $52.00 offering ~27% upside. Risks include cost inflation, geopolitical factors affecting mining operations, and volatile cash flows from heavy investing activities. Analyst sentiment is cautiously optimistic with 44% buy ratings, but investors should monitor execution on earnings targets and debt levels, which rose to 25.01% of assets in 2024.
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 →