Erste Group Bank Has Negative View of Ecolab FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

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Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) - Research analysts at Erste Group Bank dropped their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Ecolab in a research report issued on Monday, April 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the basic materials company will earn $8.48 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $8.50. Erste Group Bank has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ecolab's current full-year earnings is $8.45 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Ecolab's FY2027 earnings at $9.66 EPS.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue 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.

ECL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.82.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:ECL opened at $266.88 on Wednesday. Ecolab has a fifty-two week low of $240.92 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. 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 company's 50-day simple moving average is $277.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.46.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given 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 presently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was 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. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue beat and organic growth acceleration — Ecolab reported $4.07B in revenue (vs. ~$4.02B est.) and organic sales accelerated to +4%, led by Life Sciences, Global High‑Tech, Institutional and Specialty; management cited double‑digit EPS growth on pricing and volume. Ecolab press release
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call highlighted growth and margin momentum — management emphasized continued demand in key end markets and margin expansion initiatives, supporting the company’s medium‑term outlook. Earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 EPS in line with expectations — adjusted EPS was $1.70, matching consensus, showing steady year‑over‑year EPS growth but not a surprise to analysts. Zacks: EPS match
• Neutral Sentiment: FY 2026 guidance maintained (8.43–8.63 EPS) — management kept its full‑year adjusted EPS range essentially intact, which limits downside to long‑term estimates but signals modest near‑term conservatism. Guidance details
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 EPS guidance comes in slightly below consensus — the Q2 range of $2.02–2.12 is marginally under the Street midpoint, and management cited cost pressures tied to geopolitical developments (Iran war) that could weigh near‑term profit. MSN: Q2 guidance/analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Gross margin pressure noted — coverage flagged tighter gross margins in Q1 despite volume and pricing gains, a factor investors watch closely for margin recovery. Zacks: gross margin
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst tweaks cut near‑term EPS slightly — Erste Group trimmed FY2026 (8.50→8.48) and FY2027 (9.70→9.66) estimates and keeps a Hold rating, signaling only modest upside from current consensus. (Note: estimate adjustments reported in analyst notes.)

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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