CluenexWhat's a good margin, ROE or P/E? Sector benchmarks for US stocks, October 2026
What is a good profit margin, ROE, debt level or P/E ratio for a stock in each sector?
As of Oct 31, 2026, the median operating margin across the roughly 1,000 largest US-listed companies that Cluenex covers was 16.2%, the median ROE was 15.7% and the median trailing P/E was 22.6x. 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 | 19.4% | 29.1% | 36.7% |
| Communication Services | 43 | 38.4% | 52.2% | 61.8% |
| Consumer Cyclical | 117 | 24.8% | 40.6% | 51.6% |
| Consumer Defensive | 60 | 23.8% | 33.8% | 49.8% |
| Energy | 33 | 25.2% | 47.6% | 75.9% |
| Financial Services | 55 | 42.8% | 62.9% | 80.9% |
| Healthcare | 93 | 46.7% | 65.2% | 74.7% |
| Industrials | 174 | 26.6% | 36.9% | 45.2% |
| Real Estate | 62 | 58.5% | 67.9% | 75.3% |
| Technology | 146 | 44.0% | 61.5% | 76.7% |
| Utilities | 35 | 60.5% | 74.5% | 85.0% |
| All covered stocks | 874 | 31.8% | 47.6% | 67.6% |
Operating margin by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Materials | 56 | 8.5% | 12.8% | 18.3% |
| Communication Services | 43 | 4.9% | 14.6% | 21.1% |
| Consumer Cyclical | 118 | 6.5% | 12.4% | 18.5% |
| Consumer Defensive | 60 | 5.5% | 11.2% | 16.3% |
| Energy | 34 | 13.2% | 25.5% | 35.7% |
| Financial Services | 114 | 15.4% | 20.9% | 30.5% |
| Healthcare | 100 | 7.5% | 16.5% | 24.4% |
| Industrials | 174 | 9.2% | 14.7% | 20.1% |
| Real Estate | 63 | 16.1% | 26.9% | 41.2% |
| 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 | 2.0% | 5.7% | 10.7% |
| Communication Services | 43 | -6.4% | 6.3% | 11.5% |
| Consumer Cyclical | 118 | 3.3% | 7.6% | 12.7% |
| Consumer Defensive | 60 | 1.9% | 4.1% | 10.3% |
| Energy | 34 | 8.7% | 13.4% | 24.3% |
| Financial Services | 152 | 11.1% | 19.0% | 28.5% |
| Healthcare | 100 | 2.5% | 9.9% | 17.5% |
| Industrials | 174 | 5.3% | 10.1% | 14.6% |
| Real Estate | 63 | 5.2% | 20.7% | 30.1% |
| Technology | 146 | 4.5% | 11.4% | 22.7% |
| Utilities | 45 | 10.8% | 13.4% | 16.7% |
| All covered stocks | 991 | 4.8% | 10.8% | 19.2% |
Return on equity (ROE) by sector
| Sector | Companies | Bottom quarter ends at | Median | Top quarter starts at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Materials | 56 | 2.3% | 12.6% | 21.2% |
| Communication Services | 42 | -512.3% | 7.9% | 18.1% |
| Consumer Cyclical | 117 | 11.6% | 27.7% | 48.3% |
| Consumer Defensive | 60 | 4.7% | 15.6% | 26.8% |
| Energy | 34 | 12.0% | 18.7% | 24.3% |
| Financial Services | 152 | 10.7% | 16.2% | 22.8% |
| Healthcare | 100 | 6.1% | 14.5% | 25.2% |
| Industrials | 174 | 12.1% | 18.2% | 32.3% |
| Real Estate | 63 | 3.7% | 8.1% | 15.8% |
| Technology | 145 | 6.8% | 17.7% | 40.5% |
| Utilities | 45 | 8.8% | 9.7% | 12.2% |
| All covered stocks | 988 | 8.1% | 15.7% | 29.0% |
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% | 15.5% |
| 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% | 4.8% | 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 | 0.3x | 1.2x | 4.2x |
| Healthcare | 95 | -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 | 921 | 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 | 45 | 16.8x | 20.9x | 40.7x |
| Communication Services | 30 | 14.5x | 21.2x | 35.8x |
| Consumer Cyclical | 106 | 15.2x | 18.5x | 26.1x |
| Consumer Defensive | 53 | 16.3x | 22.7x | 34.3x |
| Energy | 34 | 13.0x | 16.9x | 24.4x |
| Financial Services | 145 | 10.7x | 13.6x | 20.2x |
| Healthcare | 82 | 22.1x | 29.5x | 40.8x |
| Industrials | 166 | 20.9x | 27.0x | 34.7x |
| Real Estate | 54 | 20.6x | 27.9x | 41.5x |
| Technology | 123 | 19.5x | 32.6x | 50.5x |
| Utilities | 43 | 18.7x | 21.4x | 23.0x |
| All covered stocks | 881 | 15.9x | 22.6x | 33.9x |
Check any of 1,000 US stocks, free
No account needed. See the business, the price, insiders and the trend in plain words, with the price that would change our view.
Want alerts and a watchlist? Create a free account.
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 gross margin is 47.6% as of Oct 31, 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 operating margin is 16.2% as of Oct 31, 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 net margin is 10.8% as of Oct 31, 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 return on equity is 15.7% as of Oct 31, 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 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 revenue growth, 1 year is 6.7% as of Oct 31, 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 debt to ebitda is 1.7x as of Oct 31, 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 price to earnings is 22.6x as of Oct 31, 2026; Technology has the highest sector median at 32.6x. 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.
Download
Free to reuse with a link to this page. CSV · JSON · Monthly snapshots: 2026-10
Statistics describe the past and are not a forecast or a recommendation.