FY2026 EPS Estimates for Ecolab Cut by Erste Group Bank

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank reduced their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Ecolab in a report released on Wednesday, July 15th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $8.15 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $8.24. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $8.13 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Ecolab’s FY2027 earnings at $9.40 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $272.91 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $264.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a PE ratio of 36.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

About Ecolab

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.