{
 "id": "sector-benchmarks",
 "title": "What's a good margin, ROE or P/E? Sector benchmarks for US stocks",
 "question": "What is a good profit margin, ROE, debt level or P/E ratio for a stock in each sector?",
 "headline": "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.",
 "as_of": "2026-10-14",
 "tiles": [
  {
   "label": "Median operating margin",
   "value": "16.2%"
  },
  {
   "label": "Median ROE",
   "value": "15.6%"
  },
  {
   "label": "Median trailing P/E",
   "value": "22.2x"
  },
  {
   "label": "Median debt to EBITDA",
   "value": "1.7x"
  }
 ],
 "tables": [
  {
   "title": "Gross margin by sector",
   "columns": [
    "Sector",
    "Companies",
    "Bottom quarter ends at",
    "Median",
    "Top quarter starts at"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "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%"
    ]
   ],
   "key": "gross_margin"
  },
  {
   "title": "Operating margin by sector",
   "columns": [
    "Sector",
    "Companies",
    "Bottom quarter ends at",
    "Median",
    "Top quarter starts at"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "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%"
    ]
   ],
   "key": "operating_margin"
  },
  {
   "title": "Net margin by sector",
   "columns": [
    "Sector",
    "Companies",
    "Bottom quarter ends at",
    "Median",
    "Top quarter starts at"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "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%"
    ]
   ],
   "key": "net_margin"
  },
  {
   "title": "Return on equity (ROE) by sector",
   "columns": [
    "Sector",
    "Companies",
    "Bottom quarter ends at",
    "Median",
    "Top quarter starts at"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "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%"
    ]
   ],
   "key": "roe"
  },
  {
   "title": "Return on invested capital (ROIC) by sector",
   "columns": [
    "Sector",
    "Companies",
    "Bottom quarter ends at",
    "Median",
    "Top quarter starts at"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "All covered stocks",
     0,
     "n/a",
     "n/a",
     "n/a"
    ]
   ],
   "key": "roic"
  },
  {
   "title": "Revenue growth, 1 year by sector",
   "columns": [
    "Sector",
    "Companies",
    "Bottom quarter ends at",
    "Median",
    "Top quarter starts at"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "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%"
    ]
   ],
   "key": "revenue_growth"
  },
  {
   "title": "Debt to EBITDA by sector",
   "columns": [
    "Sector",
    "Companies",
    "Bottom quarter ends at",
    "Median",
    "Top quarter starts at"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "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"
    ]
   ],
   "key": "debt_ebitda"
  },
  {
   "title": "Price to earnings (P/E) by sector",
   "columns": [
    "Sector",
    "Companies",
    "Bottom quarter ends at",
    "Median",
    "Top quarter starts at"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "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"
    ]
   ],
   "key": "pe"
  }
 ],
 "faq": [
  {
   "q": "What is a good gross margin for a stock?",
   "a": "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."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is a good operating margin for a stock?",
   "a": "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."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is a good net margin for a stock?",
   "a": "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."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is a good return on equity for a stock?",
   "a": "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."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is a good return on invested capital for a stock?",
   "a": "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."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is a good revenue growth, 1 year for a stock?",
   "a": "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."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is a good debt to ebitda for a stock?",
   "a": "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."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is a good price to earnings for a stock?",
   "a": "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."
  }
 ],
 "method": [
  "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."
 ],
 "sources": [],
 "stats": {
  "gross_margin.Basic Materials": "29.1%",
  "gross_margin.Communication Services": "52.2%",
  "gross_margin.Consumer Cyclical": "40.6%",
  "gross_margin.Consumer Defensive": "33.8%",
  "gross_margin.Energy": "47.6%",
  "gross_margin.Financial Services": "63.6%",
  "gross_margin.Healthcare": "65.2%",
  "gross_margin.Industrials": "36.8%",
  "gross_margin.Real Estate": "68.0%",
  "gross_margin.Technology": "61.5%",
  "gross_margin.Utilities": "74.5%",
  "gross_margin.all": "47.7%",
  "operating_margin.Basic Materials": "12.6%",
  "operating_margin.Communication Services": "14.6%",
  "operating_margin.Consumer Cyclical": "12.3%",
  "operating_margin.Consumer Defensive": "11.2%",
  "operating_margin.Energy": "25.5%",
  "operating_margin.Financial Services": "21.6%",
  "operating_margin.Healthcare": "16.8%",
  "operating_margin.Industrials": "14.7%",
  "operating_margin.Real Estate": "26.9%",
  "operating_margin.Technology": "15.9%",
  "operating_margin.Utilities": "22.7%",
  "operating_margin.all": "16.2%",
  "net_margin.Basic Materials": "5.7%",
  "net_margin.Communication Services": "6.3%",
  "net_margin.Consumer Cyclical": "7.6%",
  "net_margin.Consumer Defensive": "4.1%",
  "net_margin.Energy": "13.4%",
  "net_margin.Financial Services": "20.0%",
  "net_margin.Healthcare": "10.0%",
  "net_margin.Industrials": "10.1%",
  "net_margin.Real Estate": "20.7%",
  "net_margin.Technology": "11.3%",
  "net_margin.Utilities": "13.4%",
  "net_margin.all": "10.8%",
  "roe.Basic Materials": "12.2%",
  "roe.Communication Services": "7.9%",
  "roe.Consumer Cyclical": "27.7%",
  "roe.Consumer Defensive": "15.6%",
  "roe.Energy": "17.6%",
  "roe.Financial Services": "15.8%",
  "roe.Healthcare": "14.4%",
  "roe.Industrials": "18.3%",
  "roe.Real Estate": "8.1%",
  "roe.Technology": "17.4%",
  "roe.Utilities": "9.7%",
  "roe.all": "15.6%",
  "roic.all": "n/a",
  "revenue_growth.Basic Materials": "3.5%",
  "revenue_growth.Communication Services": "6.8%",
  "revenue_growth.Consumer Cyclical": "4.8%",
  "revenue_growth.Consumer Defensive": "3.4%",
  "revenue_growth.Energy": "4.7%",
  "revenue_growth.Financial Services": "7.2%",
  "revenue_growth.Healthcare": "8.4%",
  "revenue_growth.Industrials": "4.5%",
  "revenue_growth.Real Estate": "5.0%",
  "revenue_growth.Technology": "12.7%",
  "revenue_growth.Utilities": "9.2%",
  "revenue_growth.all": "6.7%",
  "debt_ebitda.Basic Materials": "2.3x",
  "debt_ebitda.Communication Services": "2.4x",
  "debt_ebitda.Consumer Cyclical": "1.4x",
  "debt_ebitda.Consumer Defensive": "2.1x",
  "debt_ebitda.Energy": "1.0x",
  "debt_ebitda.Financial Services": "1.2x",
  "debt_ebitda.Healthcare": "1.1x",
  "debt_ebitda.Industrials": "1.5x",
  "debt_ebitda.Real Estate": "5.1x",
  "debt_ebitda.Technology": "-0.2x",
  "debt_ebitda.Utilities": "5.5x",
  "debt_ebitda.all": "1.7x",
  "pe.Basic Materials": "21.9x",
  "pe.Communication Services": "26.8x",
  "pe.Consumer Cyclical": "17.6x",
  "pe.Consumer Defensive": "22.7x",
  "pe.Energy": "17.5x",
  "pe.Financial Services": "13.0x",
  "pe.Healthcare": "29.0x",
  "pe.Industrials": "26.7x",
  "pe.Real Estate": "26.7x",
  "pe.Technology": "33.0x",
  "pe.Utilities": "20.4x",
  "pe.all": "22.2x"
 },
 "related": [
  "/learn/fundamental-analysis/pe-ratio/",
  "/glossary/"
 ],
 "generated_at": "2026-10-15T11:11:22+00:00",
 "series": []
}