Latest Ratios: P/E Ratio 37.6x · EV/EBITDA 16.9x · ROE 469.1%. (1996–2025 historical series)
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $77.3B | $64.1B | $74.8B | $66.1B | $66.1B | $72.4B | $73.5B | $59.3B | $52.0B | $67.0B | $58.8B |
| Enterprise Value | $84.5B | $71.4B | $82.2B | $74.2B | $74.6B | $79.4B | $80.8B | $66.9B | $57.6B | $72.0B | $64.0B |
| P/E Ratio → | 37.58 | 30.05 | 25.90 | 28.78 | 36.99 | 33.47 | 27.23 | 25.03 | 21.64 | 33.09 | 24.06 |
| P/S Ratio | 3.63 | 3.14 | 3.72 | 3.40 | 3.68 | 4.16 | 4.46 | 3.78 | 3.34 | 4.33 | 3.87 |
| P/B Ratio | 214.57 | 175.60 | 137.45 | 69.07 | 82.00 | 74.56 | 66.74 | 106.23 | 263.76 | 275.66 | 3458.23 |
| P/FCF | 20.39 | 17.64 | 21.09 | 21.74 | 35.53 | 26.25 | 22.21 | 21.19 | 19.83 | 26.78 | 23.07 |
| P/OCF | 18.41 | 15.27 | 18.21 | 17.65 | 25.86 | 21.77 | 19.76 | 18.92 | 17.00 | 21.93 | 18.72 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 3.50 | 4.09 | 3.81 | 4.15 | 4.56 | 4.91 | 4.26 | 3.71 | 4.66 | 4.21 |
| EV / EBITDA | 16.86 | 18.13 | 16.48 | 15.79 | 18.06 | 17.87 | 18.16 | 15.62 | 13.21 | 16.06 | 14.54 |
| EV / EBIT | 25.57 | 16.84 | 19.35 | 20.17 | 26.38 | 24.78 | 21.23 | 19.15 | 15.75 | 19.79 | 16.47 |
| EV / FCF | — | 19.64 | 23.18 | 24.41 | 40.10 | 28.79 | 24.42 | 23.90 | 21.99 | 28.80 | 25.12 |
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 60.1% | 60.1% | 60.2% | 57.8% | 56.5% | 59.1% | 60.3% | 59.1% | 59.2% | 60.3% | 60.1% |
| Operating Margin | 16.2% | 16.2% | 21.8% | 21.2% | 20.0% | 22.3% | 23.7% | 24.0% | 24.8% | 25.9% | 26.1% |
| Net Profit Margin | 10.5% | 10.5% | 14.4% | 11.8% | 9.9% | 12.4% | 16.4% | 15.1% | 15.4% | 13.1% | 16.1% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 469.1% | 469.1% | 384.9% | 260.9% | 200.9% | 209.1% | 324.9% | 627.0% | 1090.9% | 1556.9% | 14358.8% |
| ROA | 13.2% | 13.2% | 17.8% | 14.3% | 11.6% | 14.0% | 17.4% | 17.4% | 19.3% | 16.3% | 20.3% |
| ROIC | 31.8% | 31.8% | 38.6% | 33.8% | 31.1% | 35.5% | 35.4% | 40.3% | 51.9% | 57.2% | 55.2% |
| ROCE | 33.5% | 33.5% | 40.0% | 35.3% | 31.6% | 34.5% | 34.7% | 38.0% | 42.6% | 44.3% | 45.9% |
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 23.44 | 23.44 | 15.65 | 9.47 | 11.50 | 8.07 | 7.46 | 15.20 | 32.31 | 27.07 | 384.29 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 2.17 | 2.17 | 1.71 | 1.93 | 2.24 | 1.76 | 1.85 | 1.98 | 1.46 | 1.47 | 1.48 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 19.91 | 13.63 | 8.46 | 10.54 | 7.21 | 6.65 | 13.62 | 28.63 | 20.75 | 306.94 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 1.85 | 1.85 | 1.49 | 1.72 | 2.06 | 1.58 | 1.65 | 1.78 | 1.29 | 1.12 | 1.19 |
| Debt / FCF | — | 2.00 | 2.09 | 2.66 | 4.57 | 2.54 | 2.21 | 2.72 | 2.15 | 2.02 | 2.05 |
| Interest Coverage | 15.87 | 15.87 | 14.55 | 12.82 | 16.93 | 27.38 | 23.79 | 18.19 | 18.95 | 23.79 | 26.09 |
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.83 | 0.83 | 0.92 | 1.11 | 1.28 | 1.09 | 0.99 | 1.03 | 1.14 | 1.36 | 1.31 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.54 | 0.54 | 0.58 | 0.71 | 0.76 | 0.67 | 0.61 | 0.69 | 0.76 | 1.00 | 0.96 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.22 | 0.20 | 0.19 | 0.21 | 0.20 | 0.22 | 0.22 | 0.45 | 0.40 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 1.25 | 1.25 | 1.19 | 1.14 | 1.16 | 1.03 | 1.04 | 1.28 | 1.22 | 1.25 |
| Inventory Turnover | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.02 | 4.24 | 3.77 | 4.21 | 3.91 | 4.58 | 5.07 | 5.02 | 5.18 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | 30.00 | 27.62 | 29.75 | 30.55 | 27.17 | 28.01 | 33.49 | 32.87 | 34.96 | 33.89 |
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 2.3% | 2.6% |
| Payout Ratio | 85.5% | 85.5% | 61.9% | 76.0% | 94.7% | 77.5% | 55.7% | 68.2% | 66.3% | 75.5% | 61.8% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 2.7% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 3.7% | 4.0% | 4.6% | 3.0% | 4.2% |
| FCF Yield | 4.9% | 5.7% | 4.7% | 4.6% | 2.8% | 3.8% | 4.5% | 4.7% | 5.0% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Buyback Yield | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.3% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 3.9% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.4% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 4.8% | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $811M | $823M | $829M | $839M | $848M | $859M | $861M | $873M | $888M | $898M |
Includes 30+ ratios · 30 years · Updated daily
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Quick answers to the most common questions about buying CL stock.
Colgate-Palmolive Company's current P/E ratio is 37.6x. The historical average is 27.5x. This places it at the 90th percentile of its historical range.
Colgate-Palmolive Company's current EV/EBITDA is 16.9x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 14.9x.
Colgate-Palmolive Company's return on equity (ROE) is 469.1%. This is above the typical threshold of 15-20% considered good for most companies. The historical average is 148.5%.
Based on historical data, Colgate-Palmolive Company is trading at a P/E of 37.6x. This is at the 90th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
Colgate-Palmolive Company's current dividend yield is 2.33% with a payout ratio of 85.5%.
Colgate-Palmolive Company has 60.1% gross margin and 16.2% operating margin. Operating margin between 10-20% is typical for established companies.
Colgate-Palmolive Company's Debt/EBITDA ratio is 2.2x, indicating moderate leverage. A ratio between 2-4x is manageable but warrants monitoring.
Key Metrics
Top Statement Risk
Leverage and FX-driven equity erosion
Metrics are mathematically derived from official filings.
Premium Multiples Outrun Decelerating Growth
CL trades at 37.5x trailing and 25.6x forward earnings, a premium to peers like PG at 25.2x and CHD at 36.9x, despite revenue growth slowing to roughly 1.4% on a trailing basis per reported figures.
The gap between trailing and forward P/E suggests the market is pricing in an earnings recovery from the depressed Q4 2025 and Q2 2026 results rather than current delivery. Relative to peers, CL's multiple appears to reflect a staples-plus premium tied to its pet nutrition and professional oral care franchises, which investors should monitor against decelerating top-line momentum. The 17.2x EV/EBITDA is also elevated versus PG at 19.5x only in relative terms, so the premium is not obviously stretched but depends on margins holding.
Gross Margin Durable, Operating Margin Eroding
Based on reported quarterly figures, gross margin has held between 59.4% and 61.5% across ten quarters, while operating margin slipped from 22.9% in Q2 2024 to 19.0% in Q2 2026.
The stability of gross margin suggests pricing power and mix support remain intact, consistent with a therapeutic and professional-endorsed product portfolio. However, the steady compression at the operating line points to rising overhead, promotional intensity, or input cost pressure that is not being fully recovered. Net margin volatility, including the Q4 2025 net loss, appears driven largely by non-operating and tax items rather than core operations, which warrants further investigation before treating any single quarter as representative.
ROIC Recovering While ROE Distorted by Thin Equity
ROIC has moved from 9.7% in Q3 2025 to 12.1% in Q3 2026, whereas ROE reads 124.5% in the same latest quarter, a figure inflated by a book equity base of only $288.0M.
The ROIC trajectory suggests capital efficiency is improving off a trough, which is the more economically meaningful signal for a company whose book equity is near zero due to treasury stock and historical buybacks. ROE at these levels reflects accounting structure rather than operating excellence, and should not be used to compare CL against peers such as KMB, whose ROE is similarly distorted. Investors should anchor on ROIC of around 10 to 12 percent as the operative return measure.
Debt Burden Elevated Against Thin Equity
According to reported financial statements, debt-to-equity stood at 12.06 in Q3 2026 after ranging from 6.80 to 21.88 over ten quarters, while interest coverage held near 15 to 18x through most periods.
Interest coverage remains comfortable at current levels, suggesting debt service is not the immediate constraint despite the high leverage optics. The elevated D/E is primarily a function of the depleted equity base rather than an unusual debt load, and D/EBITDA near 6x warrants monitoring given its sensitivity to any further EBITDA compression. Refinancing and covenant exposure cannot be assessed from the supplied data and should be verified against the debt footnotes.
Misapplied ROE Obscures Franchise Quality
Return on equity is the ratio most commonly misapplied to CL, as its reported figures of 124.5% in Q3 2026 reflect a near-zero book equity base rather than the franchise economics that drive value.
Using ROE to judge CL would lead an analyst to conclude returns are extraordinary, when the figure is largely an artifact of treasury stock accumulation and years of shareholder distributions. ROIC or free-cash-flow return on invested capital better captures the economic return on the brand and manufacturing base. Investors should adjust for lease and goodwill treatment and anchor on ROIC when comparing CL with peers.