Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Releases Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Q2 2026 EPS guidance set at 2.020–2.120 (slightly below the consensus of 2.110), and FY 2026 guidance raised to 8.430–8.630 EPS.
• Ecolab reported Q1 EPS of $1.70, meeting estimates, and revenue of $4.07 billion, modestly above the $4.02 billion consensus.
• Analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with a $322.82 average price target after several firms raised targets; the stock trades near $268 and insiders, including the CEO, have recently sold shares.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) updated its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 2.020-2.120 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.110. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Ecolab also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.430-8.630 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on ECL. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.82.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE ECL opened at $268.45 on Tuesday. Ecolab has a one year low of $236.50 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $278.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.82 billion, a PE ratio of 36.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) 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 net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 billion. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Sfam LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $106,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 370 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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