RPM International Inc. RPM

Competitive advantage analysis · basic-materials

Corporate Default
Overall moat score
71/100
Moderate

About RPM International Inc.

RPM International Inc. provides specialty chemicals for the construction, industrial, specialty, and consumer markets. It operates in four segments: CPG, PCG, Consumer, and SPG. The company offers waterproofing, coating, and traditional roofing systems; sealants, air barriers, tapes, and foams; residential home weatherization systems; roofing and building maintenance services; sealing and bonding, subfloor preparation, flooring, and glazing solutions; resin flooring systems, … Full RPM analysis →

Competitive advantage assessment

Key strengths

  • Margins Stable Across Cycles Operating margin volatility is low (stability score 0.91), demonstrating pricing resilience across cycles.
  • ROIC Sustainably Above Peers ROIC at 85.5th percentile exceeds peers and WACC, demonstrating superior capital allocation.

Key risks

  • Liquidity Concerns Liquidity is concerning (score 0.27), raising questions about short-term obligations.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Strong
82

Where RPM ranks in Specialty Chemicals

RPM International Inc. ranks #10 of 56 scored companies in Specialty Chemicals by moat score — the top 18%. The widest moat in the group is WD-40 Company (WDFC) at 81/100.

Moat scores for companies ranked near RPM in Specialty Chemicals
# Company Moat score Rating
6 Sherwin-Williams Company (The) SHW 74/100 Moderate
7 Oil-Dri Corporation Of America ODC 74/100 Moderate
8 Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. AXTA 72/100 Moderate
9 Cabot Corporation CBT 72/100 Moderate
10 RPM International Inc. RPM 71/100 Moderate
11 PPG Industries, Inc. PPG 71/100 Moderate
12 Sensient Technologies Corporati SXT 70/100 Moderate
13 Hawkins, Inc. HWKN 69/100 Moderate
14 Element Solutions Inc. ESI 67/100 Moderate

See every General Corporate company ranked by moat score →

How RPM scores on the Corporate Default defenses

Pricing Power

Score 82 · 20% of the moat score

Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.

Cost Advantage

Score 46 · 15% of the moat score

A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.

Customer Stickiness

Score 79 · 15% of the moat score

Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.

Capital Efficiency

Score 87 · 18% of the moat score

Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.

Resilience

Score 56 · 17% of the moat score

Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.

Scale & Market Position

Score 72 · 15% of the moat score

Scale matters only when it converts into economics.

How each Corporate Default defense is measured, in full →

Understanding RPM's moat

What is RPM International Inc.'s moat score?

RPM International Inc. (RPM) scores 71 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #10 of 56 scored companies in Specialty Chemicals, the top 18%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 56 companies in Specialty Chemicals. Its strongest defense is Capital Efficiency (87/100) and its weakest is Cost Advantage (46/100).

How does RPM International Inc. compare with other Specialty Chemicals companies?

RPM International Inc. ranks #10 of 56 scored companies in Specialty Chemicals by moat score. The widest moat in Specialty Chemicals is WD-40 Company (WDFC) at 81/100. The companies ranked closest are Cabot Corporation (CBT) at 72 just above it and PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) at 70 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 56 companies in Specialty Chemicals. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is RPM International Inc. scored with the Corporate Default template?

Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.

Which competitive defenses are measured for RPM International Inc.?

The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and RPM scores: Pricing Power (82), Cost Advantage (46), Customer Stickiness (79), Capital Efficiency (87), Resilience (56), Scale & Market Position (72). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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