Prices as of 2026/10/30 close
Company comparison · Toiletries & Household Goods
Kao is the largest by revenue at ¥1.7T, followed by Unicharm (¥945.3B), Lion (¥422.1B) and Pigeon (¥109.2B).
Pigeon has the highest operating margin at 12.1%, 3.4 points above the lowest, Lion (8.6%).
Revenue growth in the latest results: Pigeon +4.8%, Kao +3.7%, Lion +2.2%, Unicharm −4.4%. For next year, Kao guides for the fastest operating profit growth (+10.9%).
Unicharm pays the most on average (¥8.62M), ¥1.88M more than Lion (¥6.74M).
Over the past year the shares moved Pigeon +21.8%, Lion +21.6%, Kao +16.5%, Unicharm +4.9%.
Head-to-head wins18 metrics
One win per metric for the company with the best value. Metrics with no better or worse (P/E, average age, employees) are excluded.
ScaleInvestors
Kao aheadKao 3 : Unicharm 0 : Lion 0 : Pigeon 0
Revenue: Kao ¥1.7T / Unicharm ¥945.3B / Lion ¥422.1B / Pigeon ¥109.2B
ProfitabilityInvestors
Pigeon aheadKao 1 : Unicharm 1 : Lion 0 : Pigeon 2
Operating margin: Kao 9.7% / Lion 8.6% / Pigeon 12.1%
GrowthInvestors
Unicharm aheadKao 1 : Unicharm 2 : Lion 1 : Pigeon 1
Revenue growth (YoY): Kao +3.7% / Unicharm −4.4% / Lion +2.2% / Pigeon +4.8%
Stock & balance sheetInvestors
Pigeon aheadKao 1 : Unicharm 0 : Lion 0 : Pigeon 2
Share price, 1 year: Kao +16.5% / Unicharm +4.9% / Lion +21.6% / Pigeon +21.8%
Pay & workforceJob seekers
EvenKao 0 : Unicharm 1 : Lion 1 : Pigeon 1
Average salary: Kao ¥8.11M / Unicharm ¥8.62M / Lion ¥6.74M / Pigeon ¥8.27M
| Metric | Kao | Unicharm | Lion | Pigeon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | ◎¥1.7T | ¥945.3B | ¥422.1B | ¥109.2B |
| Operating profit | ◎¥164.1B | — | ¥36.4B | ¥13.2B |
| Net income | ◎¥120.1B | ¥65.2B | ¥27.6B | ¥8.6B |
| Metric | Kao | Unicharm | Lion | Pigeon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 9.7% | — | 8.6% | ◎12.1% |
| Net margin | 7.1% | 6.9% | 6.5% | ◎7.9% |
| ROE | ◎11.3% | 8.3% | 9.0% | 10.4% |
| Revenue per employee | ¥215M | ◎¥673M | ¥138M | ¥323M |
| Metric | Kao | Unicharm | Lion | Pigeon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +3.7% | −4.4% | +2.2% | ◎+4.8% |
| Operating profit growth (YoY) | +11.9% | −21.4% | ◎+28.1% | +8.4% |
| Revenue CAGRlast 4 years | +4.4% | ◎+4.8% | +3.6% | — |
| Guidance: revenue growthnext FY plan | +3.6% | ◎+6.8% | +1.9% | +4.0% |
| Guidance: op. profit growthnext FY plan | ◎+10.9% | — | +10.0% | +5.6% |
| Metric | Kao | Unicharm | Lion | Pigeon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share price, 1 year | +16.5% | +4.9% | +21.6% | ◎+21.8% |
| Share price, 3 months | ◎+10.7% | −1.8% | +4.5% | +2.1% |
| P/E (trailing)lower = cheaper | 14.4x | 27.1x | 18.3x | 29.3x |
| Equity ratio | 58.4% | 72.9% | 65.9% | ◎78.0% |
| Share price (close) | ¥3,747 | ¥1,012 | ¥1,829.5 | ¥2,101.5 |
◎ marks the best value for each metric. Revenue and profit are from the latest full-year earnings release; share prices are closing-price references; P/E = latest close ÷ trailing EPS. For banks and some other financials, revenue means ordinary income.
| Metric | Kao | Unicharm | Lion | Pigeon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average salary | ¥8.11M | ◎¥8.62M | ¥6.74M | ¥8.27M |
| Starting salary (monthly) | ¥247,100 | ¥235,000 | ¥266,980 | ◎¥292,000 |
| Average tenure | 17.0 yrs | 14.9 yrs | ◎17.1 yrs | 15.0 yrs |
| Average age | 40.8 | 40.9 | 44.5 | 42.8 |
| Employees | 7,861 | 1,404 | 3,068 | 338 |
Average salary is for the reporting (parent) company and is affected by average age and job mix. Holding companies with few employees are left out of the salary comparison.
Close (Oct 30, 2026)
¥3,747+16.5% (1Y)
Kao +16.5% over 1Y. Compared: Unicharm +4.9%, Lion +21.6%, Pigeon +21.8%.
Reference chart of daily closing prices, not real-time quotes (split-adjusted; weekly closes before the last year). Each line shows the % change from the start of the period. Updated Oct 30, 2026.
Kao7 segments
Unicharm3 segments
Lion3 segments
Pigeon4 segments
AAverage annual salary from the securities filings: Unicharm ¥8.62M, Pigeon ¥8.27M, Kao ¥8.11M, Lion ¥6.74M. Unicharm pays the most. Averages also depend on staff age and job mix, so check the average age too (Kao 40.8, Unicharm 40.9, Lion 44.5, Pigeon 42.8).
ARevenue in the latest results: Kao ¥1.7T, Unicharm ¥945.3B, Lion ¥422.1B, Pigeon ¥109.2B. Kao is the largest by revenue at ¥1.7T, followed by Unicharm (¥945.3B), Lion (¥422.1B) and Pigeon (¥109.2B).
AOperating margins: Pigeon 12.1%, Kao 9.7%, Lion 8.6%. Pigeon turns the highest share of sales into operating profit.
AShare price change over the past year (closing prices, for reference): Pigeon +21.8%, Lion +21.6%, Kao +16.5%, Unicharm +4.9%. Pigeon has risen the most.
Comparing 4 companies (up to 4)
Sources: earnings releases (kessan tanshin), annual securities reports and other public information. Share prices are closing-price references, not real-time. Our data may contain errors; investment decisions are your own responsibility.
