CluenexWhat's a good margin, ROE or P/E? Sector benchmarks for US stocks
What is a good profit margin, ROE, debt level or P/E ratio for a stock in each sector?
As of Oct 14, 2026, the median operating margin across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers was 16.2%, the median ROE was 15.6% and the median trailing P/E was 22.2x. A 'good' figure depends on the sector: the median operating margin is 15.9% in Technology.
Gross margin by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Materials | 56 | 18.8% | 29.1% | 37.2% |
| Communication Services | 43 | 38.4% | 52.2% | 61.8% |
| Consumer Cyclical | 117 | 25.1% | 40.6% | 51.6% |
| Consumer Defensive | 60 | 23.8% | 33.8% | 49.8% |
| Energy | 33 | 23.6% | 47.6% | 75.9% |
| Financial Services | 56 | 44.7% | 63.6% | 82.0% |
| Healthcare | 93 | 46.7% | 65.2% | 74.7% |
| Industrials | 174 | 26.6% | 36.8% | 45.1% |
| Real Estate | 62 | 58.5% | 68.0% | 75.2% |
| Technology | 146 | 44.0% | 61.5% | 76.3% |
| Utilities | 35 | 60.5% | 74.5% | 84.7% |
| All covered stocks | 875 | 31.9% | 47.7% | 67.6% |
Operating margin by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Materials | 56 | 8.3% | 12.6% | 18.3% |
| Communication Services | 43 | 5.6% | 14.6% | 20.8% |
| Consumer Cyclical | 118 | 6.6% | 12.3% | 18.6% |
| Consumer Defensive | 60 | 5.5% | 11.2% | 16.3% |
| Energy | 34 | 13.3% | 25.5% | 35.7% |
| Financial Services | 114 | 15.4% | 21.6% | 31.6% |
| Healthcare | 100 | 7.5% | 16.8% | 24.1% |
| Industrials | 174 | 9.0% | 14.7% | 19.8% |
| Real Estate | 63 | 16.2% | 26.9% | 41.0% |
| Technology | 146 | 7.2% | 15.9% | 26.4% |
| Utilities | 45 | 18.6% | 22.7% | 25.5% |
| All covered stocks | 953 | 9.0% | 16.2% | 24.1% |
Net margin by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Materials | 56 | 2.2% | 5.7% | 10.2% |
| Communication Services | 43 | -2.9% | 6.3% | 11.5% |
| Consumer Cyclical | 118 | 3.4% | 7.6% | 12.8% |
| Consumer Defensive | 60 | 1.9% | 4.1% | 10.3% |
| Energy | 34 | 8.5% | 13.4% | 24.3% |
| Financial Services | 152 | 11.2% | 20.0% | 28.9% |
| Healthcare | 100 | 2.8% | 10.0% | 17.5% |
| Industrials | 174 | 5.3% | 10.1% | 14.5% |
| Real Estate | 63 | 4.8% | 20.7% | 30.9% |
| Technology | 146 | 4.3% | 11.3% | 22.4% |
| Utilities | 45 | 10.8% | 13.4% | 16.7% |
| All covered stocks | 991 | 4.9% | 10.8% | 19.2% |
Return on equity (ROE) by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Materials | 56 | 2.6% | 12.2% | 21.2% |
| Communication Services | 43 | -340.6% | 7.9% | 18.8% |
| Consumer Cyclical | 117 | 11.6% | 27.7% | 48.3% |
| Consumer Defensive | 60 | 4.7% | 15.6% | 26.8% |
| Energy | 34 | 12.1% | 17.6% | 24.3% |
| Financial Services | 152 | 10.7% | 15.8% | 22.8% |
| Healthcare | 100 | 6.4% | 14.4% | 26.0% |
| Industrials | 174 | 11.5% | 18.3% | 31.5% |
| Real Estate | 63 | 4.3% | 8.1% | 15.9% |
| Technology | 145 | 6.8% | 17.4% | 40.4% |
| Utilities | 45 | 8.8% | 9.7% | 12.2% |
| All covered stocks | 989 | 8.3% | 15.6% | 29.0% |
Return on invested capital (ROIC) by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All covered stocks | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Revenue growth, 1 year by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Materials | 56 | -2.4% | 3.5% | 8.5% |
| Communication Services | 43 | 2.6% | 6.8% | 15.8% |
| Consumer Cyclical | 118 | 0.8% | 4.8% | 9.7% |
| Consumer Defensive | 60 | -1.3% | 3.4% | 7.3% |
| Energy | 34 | -4.2% | 4.7% | 13.6% |
| Financial Services | 152 | 4.1% | 7.2% | 13.9% |
| Healthcare | 100 | 4.0% | 8.4% | 12.8% |
| Industrials | 174 | 0.8% | 4.5% | 9.6% |
| Real Estate | 63 | 1.3% | 5.0% | 8.5% |
| Technology | 145 | 6.4% | 12.7% | 22.8% |
| Utilities | 45 | 4.2% | 9.2% | 12.9% |
| All covered stocks | 990 | 1.8% | 6.7% | 13.0% |
Debt to EBITDA by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Materials | 55 | 1.3x | 2.3x | 3.3x |
| Communication Services | 43 | -0.1x | 2.4x | 3.9x |
| Consumer Cyclical | 117 | -0.2x | 1.4x | 3.4x |
| Consumer Defensive | 59 | 1.3x | 2.1x | 3.2x |
| Energy | 34 | 0.6x | 1.0x | 1.9x |
| Financial Services | 94 | 0.2x | 1.2x | 4.2x |
| Healthcare | 96 | -0.7x | 1.1x | 2.8x |
| Industrials | 172 | 0.8x | 1.5x | 2.4x |
| Real Estate | 63 | 4.4x | 5.1x | 5.9x |
| Technology | 144 | -1.8x | -0.2x | 1.1x |
| Utilities | 45 | 5.0x | 5.5x | 5.9x |
| All covered stocks | 922 | 0.3x | 1.7x | 3.4x |
Price to earnings (P/E) by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Materials | 46 | 15.2x | 21.9x | 37.9x |
| Communication Services | 31 | 14.8x | 26.8x | 58.7x |
| Consumer Cyclical | 108 | 13.7x | 17.6x | 25.1x |
| Consumer Defensive | 54 | 16.1x | 22.7x | 32.6x |
| Energy | 34 | 12.3x | 17.5x | 23.3x |
| Financial Services | 145 | 10.4x | 13.0x | 19.8x |
| Healthcare | 83 | 20.3x | 29.0x | 40.5x |
| Industrials | 166 | 20.1x | 26.7x | 35.6x |
| Real Estate | 54 | 21.0x | 26.7x | 40.3x |
| Technology | 122 | 19.3x | 33.0x | 55.0x |
| Utilities | 43 | 17.7x | 20.4x | 22.3x |
| All covered stocks | 886 | 14.9x | 22.2x | 33.9x |
Questions people ask
What is a good gross margin for a stock?
It depends on the sector. Across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers, the median is 47.7% as of Oct 14, 2026; Utilities has the highest sector median at 74.5%. A company in its sector's top quarter is strong on this measure; the table on this page gives the cut-off for each sector.
What is a good operating margin for a stock?
It depends on the sector. Across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers, the median is 16.2% as of Oct 14, 2026; Real Estate has the highest sector median at 26.9%. A company in its sector's top quarter is strong on this measure; the table on this page gives the cut-off for each sector.
What is a good net margin for a stock?
It depends on the sector. Across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers, the median is 10.8% as of Oct 14, 2026; Real Estate has the highest sector median at 20.7%. A company in its sector's top quarter is strong on this measure; the table on this page gives the cut-off for each sector.
What is a good return on equity for a stock?
It depends on the sector. Across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers, the median is 15.6% as of Oct 14, 2026; Consumer Cyclical has the highest sector median at 27.7%. A company in its sector's top quarter is strong on this measure; the table on this page gives the cut-off for each sector.
What is a good return on invested capital for a stock?
It depends on the sector. Across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers, the median is n/a as of Oct 14, 2026. A company in its sector's top quarter is strong on this measure; the table on this page gives the cut-off for each sector.
What is a good revenue growth, 1 year for a stock?
It depends on the sector. Across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers, the median is 6.7% as of Oct 14, 2026; Technology has the highest sector median at 12.7%. A company in its sector's top quarter is strong on this measure; the table on this page gives the cut-off for each sector.
What is a good debt to ebitda for a stock?
It depends on the sector. Across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers, the median is 1.7x as of Oct 14, 2026; Utilities has the highest sector median at 5.5x. A company in its sector's top quarter is strong on this measure; the table on this page gives the cut-off for each sector.
What is a good price to earnings for a stock?
It depends on the sector. Across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers, the median is 22.2x as of Oct 14, 2026; Technology has the highest sector median at 33.0x. A company in its sector's top quarter is strong on this measure; the table on this page gives the cut-off for each sector.
How we count
- Universe: the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers, grouped into the 11 standard sectors.
- Figures are trailing twelve months from company filings. P/E uses the latest price over trailing EPS and leaves out companies with losses or a P/E above 400.
- Quartiles: 'bottom quarter ends at' is the 25th percentile, 'top quarter starts at' the 75th. Sectors with fewer than 8 companies reporting a measure are left out of that table.
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Statistics describe the past and are not a forecast or a recommendation.