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Side-by-side financial comparison of Ecolab (ECL) and NRG Energy (NRG). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
NRG Energy is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($7.7B vs $4.1B, roughly 1.9× Ecolab). Ecolab runs the higher net margin — 10.6% vs 0.9%, a 9.8% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, NRG Energy posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (13.6% vs 10.0%). Over the past eight quarters, NRG Energy's revenue compounded faster (2.0% CAGR vs 1.0%).
Ecolab Inc., headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, provides products related to water treatment, sanitation, and hygiene, primarily to commercial and industrial customers.
NRG Energy, Inc. is an American energy company, headquartered in Houston, Texas. It was formerly the wholesale arm of Northern States Power Company (NSP), which became Xcel Energy, but became independent in 2000. NRG Energy is involved in energy generation and retail electricity. Their portfolio includes natural gas generation, coal generation, oil generation, nuclear generation, wind generation, utility-scale generation, and distributed solar generation.
ECL vs NRG — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q2 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $4.1B | $7.7B |
| Net Profit | $432.6M | $66.0M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 15.3% | 3.9% |
| Net Margin | 10.6% | 0.9% |
| Revenue YoY | 10.0% | 13.6% |
| Net Profit YoY | 1.3% | -89.7% |
| EPS (diluted) | $1.52 | $0.33 |
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.
| Q2 26 | $4.1B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $4.2B | $7.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.2B | $7.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.0B | $6.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.7B | $8.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.0B | $6.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $4.0B | $7.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.0B | $6.5B |
| Q2 26 | $432.6M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $563.9M | $66.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $585.0M | $152.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $524.2M | $-104.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $402.5M | $750.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $472.9M | $643.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $736.5M | $-767.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $490.9M | $738.0M |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 44.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 44.8% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 44.8% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 44.2% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 43.3% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 43.4% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 43.8% | — |
| Q2 26 | 15.3% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 17.0% | 3.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 18.3% | 5.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 17.6% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 15.0% | 13.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 14.6% | 14.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 26.1% | -11.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 16.5% | 21.8% |
| Q2 26 | 10.6% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 13.4% | 0.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 14.0% | 2.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 13.0% | -1.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 10.9% | 8.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 11.8% | 9.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 18.4% | -10.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 12.3% | 11.4% |
| Q2 26 | $1.52 | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.98 | $0.33 | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.05 | $0.69 | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.84 | $-0.62 | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.41 | $3.61 | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.65 | $3.10 | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.58 | $-3.79 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.71 | $3.37 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $519.8K | $4.7B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $8.5M | $16.4B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $10.0M | $1.7B |
| Total Assets | $25.0M | $29.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.85× | 9.76× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q2 26 | $519.8K | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $646.2M | $4.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.0B | $732.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.9B | $180.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.2B | $693.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.3B | $966.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.3B | $1.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $384.0M | $376.0M |
| Q2 26 | $8.5M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $7.4B | $16.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $8.1B | $11.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.5B | $9.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $7.0B | $9.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.9B | $9.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.0B | $10.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.5B | $10.4B |
| Q2 26 | $10.0M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $9.8B | $1.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $9.7B | $2.0B | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.3B | $2.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $8.9B | $2.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $8.8B | $2.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | $8.5B | $2.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $8.3B | $3.6B |
| Q2 26 | $25.0M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $24.7B | $29.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $23.9B | $24.0B | ||
| Q2 25 | $23.7B | $24.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $22.4B | $25.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $22.4B | $24.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $22.1B | $23.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $21.5B | $25.8B |
| Q2 26 | 0.85× | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.75× | 9.76× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.83× | 5.66× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.81× | 4.29× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.79× | 3.53× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.79× | 3.96× | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.82× | 4.14× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.91× | 2.88× |
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 | — | $123.0M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | — | $-175.0M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | — | -2.3% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | — | 3.9% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 1.86× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $766.0M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.1B | $123.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $791.3M | $484.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $701.8M | $451.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $369.4M | $855.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $766.7M | $952.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $786.7M | $31.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $611.1M | $1.1B |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $758.0M | $-175.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $529.7M | $230.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $485.1M | $73.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $131.5M | $638.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $407.0M | $766.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $550.3M | $-83.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $414.2M | $953.0M |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 18.1% | -2.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 12.7% | 3.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 12.1% | 1.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.6% | 7.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 10.2% | 11.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 13.8% | -1.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.4% | 14.7% |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 7.9% | 3.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.3% | 3.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.4% | 5.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 6.4% | 2.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 9.0% | 2.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.9% | 1.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.9% | 1.6% |
| Q2 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.93× | 1.86× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.35× | 3.18× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.34× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.92× | 1.14× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.62× | 1.48× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.07× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.24× | 1.43× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
ECL
| Product and equipment sales | $3.2B | 78% |
| Service and lease sales | $891.5M | 22% |
NRG
Segment breakdown not available.
