Equities Analysts Issue Forecasts for Ecolab FY2026 Earnings

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank reduced their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Ecolab in a report issued on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the basic materials company will earn $8.50 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $8.52. Erste Group Bank has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $7.54 per share.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $260.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $285.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.70. The stock has a market cap of $73.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.83, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 39.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 20,690 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,575,000 after acquiring an additional 1,056 shares during the period. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.6% in the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 14,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,940,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.