Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Ecolab updated its FY 2026 EPS guidance to 8.430–8.630, essentially in line with the consensus of 8.440, and did not provide revenue guidance.
• The company reported Q1 EPS of $1.70 (matching estimates) and revenue of $4.07 billion, slightly above expectations, while the stock trades around $268 with a market cap of about $75.8 billion and a P/E of ~36.9.
• Analysts hold a Moderate Buy consensus on Ecolab with a $322.82 average target after a mix of price-target adjustments from major brokers.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 8.430-8.630 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 8.440. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Bank of America increased their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.82.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.4%

ECL stock opened at $268.45 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $278.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.49. Ecolab has a fifty-two week low of $236.50 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.02 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 value 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 trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

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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