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EL or UL or WMT
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Unilever (UL) vs. Walmart (WMT) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- EL has experienced significant volatility in recent market activity, with YTD gains around 33% but ongoing challenges from mixed earnings and merger talks with Puig driving sentiment shifts.
- UL shows relative stability with a trailing P/E of 20.06 and YTD return of about 7.6%, bolstered by advanced talks to merge its foods business with McCormick, potentially creating a $20 billion revenue entity.
- WMT leads in scale with a $985 billion market cap and 11% YTD return, supported by strong long-term performance (42% 1-year return) and expansions like AI-driven shopping and Mexico partnerships.
- Across valuation sensitivity, WMT's higher trailing P/E of 45 reflects premium growth expectations, while UL appears more attractively valued.
- Recent momentum favors defensive plays amid consumer sector pressures, with WMT demonstrating consistent outperformance versus benchmarks.
- Sector exposure contrasts luxury beauty in EL, diversified FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) in UL, and mass retail in WMT.
Introduction
This comparison examines EL (Estée Lauder), UL (Unilever), and WMT (Walmart), three consumer-focused stocks spanning prestige beauty, diversified fast-moving consumer goods, and mass-market retail. Investors and traders analyzing defensive sectors amid economic uncertainty may find value here, as these companies navigate tariff pressures, strategic mergers, and e-commerce shifts. Recent market activity highlights relative performance in growth drivers, valuation, and risk, offering insights for portfolio positioning in a volatile environment.
EL Overview and Recent Performance
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty, manufacturing and marketing skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products under brands like Estée Lauder, Clinique, La Mer, and Jo Malone London. Operating in approximately 150 countries, it emphasizes high-quality, luxury items sold through department stores, specialty retailers, and digital channels.
In recent weeks, EL's stock has shown volatility, trading around $69 with a market cap of $25 billion and YTD return near 33%, outperforming the S&P 500. However, sentiment has been influenced by mixed Q4 earnings—revenue of $4.23 billion met expectations but highlighted competitive pressures in personal care—and confirmation of merger talks with Puig, sparking concerns over execution risks and integration. A forward P/E of 43.67 reflects growth potential, though negative EPS (TTM: -0.51) underscores profitability challenges amid restructuring.
UL Overview and Recent Performance
Unilever PLC (UL) is a multinational fast-moving consumer goods company with segments in Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods. Iconic brands like Dove, Hellmann's, and Axe generate €50.5 billion in annual turnover, serving 3.7 billion consumers daily across 190 countries through innovative, accessible products.
Recent market activity has seen UL trade near $60, with a $131 billion market cap, trailing P/E of 20.06, and YTD return of 7.6%. Performance reflects stability (beta 0.26), driven by advanced discussions to merge its foods business with McCormick in a deal valuing the unit at around $16-20 billion, aiming for cost synergies and a focused flavor giant. Profit margins at 18.75% and strong free cash flow support dividends (3.7% yield), though 1-month dips highlight short-term pressures.
WMT Overview and Recent Performance
Walmart Inc. (WMT) operates as a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer with supercenters, discount stores, and e-commerce, offering groceries, apparel, and general merchandise at everyday low prices worldwide.
WMT recently traded around $123, boasting a $985 billion market cap, trailing P/E of 45, and YTD return of 11%. Momentum stems from robust 1-year gains (42%), grocery dominance, and innovations like AI shopping tools and Vusion partnerships in Mexico for connected stores. Despite facility closures and pricing scrutiny, EPS (TTM: 2.73) and 3% profit margins, coupled with low debt/equity (64%), reinforce resilience versus benchmarks.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
Business models differ sharply: EL targets prestige beauty with high margins but cyclical luxury demand; UL offers diversified FMCG stability across essentials; WMT dominates mass retail via scale and omnichannel reach. Growth drivers include EL's innovation in premium skincare, UL's portfolio streamlining via mergers, and WMT's e-commerce and grocery expansions.
Recent momentum shows WMT strongest (11% YTD, 42% 1-year), followed by EL (33% YTD but volatile), and UL (7.6% YTD). Risk factors: EL faces merger integration and tariffs ($100M hit); UL legal suits; WMT labor/pricing probes. Sector exposure pits beauty volatility against staples resilience. Valuation sensitivity: UL's 20 P/E cheapest, WMT's 45 priciest, EL forward-focused. Market sentiment leans toward WMT's consistency.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors WMT based on trend consistency, superior relative positioning (11% YTD, 42% 1-year outperformance), scale advantages, and stability catalysts like tech integrations. While UL offers value and EL upside from mergers, WMT's lower beta and grocery resilience suggest higher probability of sustained gains in uncertain conditions.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
EL’s FA Score shows that 0 FA rating(s) are green whileUL’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s), and WMT’s FA Score reflects 1 green FA rating(s).
- EL’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- UL’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- WMT’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
EL’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while UL’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and WMT’s TA Score reflects 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- EL’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
- UL’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- WMT’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
EL (@Household/Personal Care) experienced а +4.86% price change this week, while UL (@Household/Personal Care) price change was +0.33% , and WMT (@Discount Stores) price fluctuated +0.58% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Household/Personal Care industry was +0.96%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +3.95%, and the average quarterly price growth was -8.44%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Discount Stores industry was +2.34%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +2.71%, and the average quarterly price growth was +7.10%.
Reported Earning Dates
EL is expected to report earnings on May 01, 2026.
WMT is expected to report earnings on May 14, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Household/Personal Care (+0.96% weekly)Household/Personal Care companies sell products for home cleaning and/or personal hygiene and grooming purposes. Products of this industry include detergents, shampoos, soaps, cosmetics, fabric conditioners and infant care fragrances. Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Estee Lauder and Colgate-Palmolive are some of the biggest names in the business. A lot of the products become a necessary part of people’s daily routine, and therefore the industry is relatively less vulnerable to macroeconomic downturns. At the same time, product quality, consumer safety, and ease of use are extremely critical factors for a company to survive competition and earn recognition in this industry.
@Discount Stores (+2.34% weekly)Companies in the discount stores industry specialize in offering substantial discounts on a vast array of retail products. Some companies in this industry also operate general merchandise warehouse clubs. Products sold at discount stores are typically similar to those of any department store, but the pricing of the goods is generally much lower (and hence the name “discount”). Think Dollar General Corporation, Dollar Tree, Inc. and Five Below, Inc. Many discount stores target low-income households and/or price-sensitive consumers as their potential market. Discount stores’ profitability could hinge on factors like competitive pricing, sufficient locations, healthy revenue per square foot, and effective advertisement. These store operators could have an edge over other retailers during financial crises or recessions, when many consumers could be looking for less expensive alternatives.
| EL | UL | WMT | |
| Capitalization | 27.6B | 125B | 1.02T |
| EBITDA | 1.39B | 11.3B | 46.5B |
| Gain YTD | -27.006 | -9.822 | 14.677 |
| P/E Ratio | 147.80 | 19.14 | 46.70 |
| Revenue | 14.7B | 59.8B | 713B |
| Total Cash | 3.08B | N/A | 10.7B |
| Total Debt | 9.39B | N/A | 67.1B |
EL | UL | WMT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 4 | 51 | 22 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 54 Fair valued | 39 Fair valued | 92 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 100 | 81 | 6 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 91 | 97 | 40 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 64 | 81 | 48 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 36 | 83 | 42 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 85 | 75 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
UL's Valuation (39) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as EL (54) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for WMT (92) in the Specialty Stores industry. This means that UL's stock grew similarly to EL’s and somewhat faster than WMT’s over the last 12 months.
WMT's Profit vs Risk Rating (6) in the Specialty Stores industry is significantly better than the same rating for UL (81) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for EL (100) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that WMT's stock grew significantly faster than UL’s and significantly faster than EL’s over the last 12 months.
WMT's SMR Rating (40) in the Specialty Stores industry is somewhat better than the same rating for EL (91) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for UL (97) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that WMT's stock grew somewhat faster than EL’s and somewhat faster than UL’s over the last 12 months.
WMT's Price Growth Rating (48) in the Specialty Stores industry is in the same range as EL (64) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for UL (81) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that WMT's stock grew similarly to EL’s and somewhat faster than UL’s over the last 12 months.
EL's P/E Growth Rating (36) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as WMT (42) in the Specialty Stores industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for UL (83) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that EL's stock grew similarly to WMT’s and somewhat faster than UL’s over the last 12 months.
| EL | UL | WMT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 67% | 2 days ago 34% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 74% | 2 days ago 58% | 2 days ago 29% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 65% | 2 days ago 37% | 2 days ago 59% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 59% | 2 days ago 38% | 2 days ago 66% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 40% | 2 days ago 55% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 75% | 2 days ago 46% | 2 days ago 53% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 63% | 10 days ago 42% | 2 days ago 55% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 17 days ago 74% | 5 days ago 42% | 6 days ago 34% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 61% | N/A | 2 days ago 41% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 68% | 2 days ago 40% | 2 days ago 25% |
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| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| ECNS | 34.73 | 0.56 | +1.64% |
| iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF | |||
| VIDI | 38.84 | 0.60 | +1.57% |
| Vident International Equity Strategy ETF | |||
| FV | 64.86 | 0.67 | +1.04% |
| First Trust Dorsey Wright Focus 5 ETF | |||
| FLCV | 33.54 | 0.33 | +0.98% |
| Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Value ETF | |||
| INCE | 66.46 | 0.20 | +0.29% |
| Franklin Income Equity Focus ETF | |||
WMT and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, WMT has been loosely correlated with COST. These tickers have moved in lockstep 66% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if WMT jumps, then COST could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To WMT | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMT | 100% | +2.15% | ||
| COST - WMT | 66% Loosely correlated | +1.28% | ||
| BJ - WMT | 39% Loosely correlated | -0.18% | ||
| PSMT - WMT | 35% Loosely correlated | +3.21% | ||
| TGT - WMT | 30% Poorly correlated | +3.17% | ||
| TBBB - WMT | 21% Poorly correlated | +2.19% | ||
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