vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of DNOW Inc. (DNOW) and Element Solutions Inc (ESI). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
DNOW Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($959.0M vs $840.0M, roughly 1.1× Element Solutions Inc). Element Solutions Inc runs the higher net margin — 6.7% vs -16.8%, a 23.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, DNOW Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (68.0% vs 41.0%). DNOW Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($76.0M vs $-74.2M). Over the past eight quarters, DNOW Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (30.5% CAGR vs 17.1%).
DNOW Inc., operating under the trade name DistributionNOW, is a global industrial and energy products distributor. It provides supply chain management, inventory optimization, and technical support services, offering parts, equipment, and consumables for oil and gas, renewable energy, manufacturing, and construction sectors, with operations spanning North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
Element Solutions Inc is an American specialty chemicals production corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
DNOW vs ESI — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $959.0M | $840.0M |
| Net Profit | $-161.0M | $56.0M |
| Gross Margin | 5.2% | 38.4% |
| Operating Margin | -19.6% | 13.3% |
| Net Margin | -16.8% | 6.7% |
| Revenue YoY | 68.0% | 41.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | -905.0% | -42.9% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-1.42 | $0.23 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $840.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $959.0M | $676.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $634.0M | $656.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $628.0M | $625.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $599.0M | $593.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $571.0M | $624.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $606.0M | $645.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $633.0M | $612.7M |
| Q1 26 | — | $56.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $-161.0M | $6.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $25.0M | $39.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $25.0M | $47.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $22.0M | $98.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $20.0M | $54.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.0M | $40.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $24.0M | $93.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | 38.4% | ||
| Q4 25 | 5.2% | 40.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 22.9% | 42.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 22.9% | 42.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 23.2% | 42.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 22.6% | 41.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 22.3% | 41.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 21.8% | 43.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | 13.3% | ||
| Q4 25 | -19.6% | 10.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.2% | 15.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.1% | 15.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 5.0% | 13.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 4.4% | 12.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.8% | 14.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.2% | 15.7% |
| Q1 26 | — | 6.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | -16.8% | 0.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.9% | 6.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.0% | 7.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.7% | 16.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.5% | 8.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.1% | 6.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.8% | 15.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | $0.23 | ||
| Q4 25 | $-1.42 | $0.03 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.23 | $0.16 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.23 | $0.20 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.20 | $0.40 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.19 | $0.22 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.12 | $0.17 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.21 | $0.39 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $164.0M | $177.3M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $411.0M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $2.2B | $2.7B |
| Total Assets | $3.9B | $5.7B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.18× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $177.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $164.0M | $626.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $266.0M | $594.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $232.0M | $529.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $219.0M | $499.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $256.0M | $359.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $261.0M | $376.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $197.0M | $309.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $411.0M | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $1.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $1.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $0 | $1.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $1.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $1.9B |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.7B | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.2B | $2.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.2B | $2.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.2B | $2.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.1B | $2.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1B | $2.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.1B | $2.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.1B | $2.4B |
| Q1 26 | — | $5.7B | ||
| Q4 25 | $3.9B | $5.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.7B | $5.0B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.7B | $5.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.7B | $4.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.6B | $4.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.6B | $5.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.6B | $5.0B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.18× | 0.61× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.61× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.62× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.64× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.00× | 0.76× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.78× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.81× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $83.0M | — |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $76.0M | $-74.2M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 7.9% | -8.8% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.7% | 3.0% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $134.0M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $83.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $43.0M | $100.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $45.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $-16.0M | $26.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $122.0M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $74.0M | $98.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $21.0M | — |
| Q1 26 | — | $-74.2M | ||
| Q4 25 | $76.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $39.0M | $83.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $41.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $-22.0M | $15.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $119.0M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $72.0M | $85.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $18.0M | — |
| Q1 26 | — | -8.8% | ||
| Q4 25 | 7.9% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.2% | 12.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 6.5% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | -3.7% | 2.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 20.8% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 11.9% | 13.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.8% | — |
| Q1 26 | — | 3.0% | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.7% | 2.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.6% | 2.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.6% | 2.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.0% | 1.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.5% | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.3% | 2.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.5% | 2.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.72× | 2.55× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.80× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | -0.73× | 0.27× | ||
| Q4 24 | 6.10× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.69× | 2.44× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.88× | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
DNOW
| Pipelines | $455.0M | 47% |
| Downstream And Industrial | $196.0M | 20% |
| Gas Utilities | $183.0M | 19% |
| Oil And Gas Properties | $105.0M | 11% |
| Other | $20.0M | 2% |
ESI
| Electronics ex-Metals | $377.8M | 45% |
| Pass-through Metals | $255.7M | 30% |
| Other | $206.5M | 25% |
