FY2026 EPS Estimates for Ecolab Lowered by Erste Group Bank

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate for Ecolab to $8.15 from $8.24, which is roughly in line with the current consensus estimate of $8.14 per share.
• Ecolab’s latest quarter met expectations, posting $1.70 EPS on $4.07 billion in revenue, with revenue up 10% year over year. The company also maintained FY2026 guidance of $8.43 to $8.63 EPS.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Ecolab, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.29. Recent analyst moves included UBS upgrading the stock to buy and several firms raising price targets.

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) - Research analysts at Erste Group Bank cut their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Ecolab in a research note issued 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 $8.14 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Ecolab's FY2027 earnings at $9.40 EPS.

ECL has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $324.29.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $275.57 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $264.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.03. Ecolab has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.29, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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