Ecolab (ECL) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) is a global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services, serving a diverse range of industries including foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, industrial and energy. The company designs, manufactures and delivers cleaning and sanitizing agents, water treatment programs, pest elimination services and digital solutions that help customers optimize performance and ensure safe, sustainable operations.

At the core of Ecolab’s offerings are water treatment chemicals and equipment designed to improve water efficiency, reduce waste and protect critical infrastructure. Complementing these are advanced cleaning and sanitation systems aimed at eliminating pathogens in food processing and healthcare settings, as well as integrated pest management services that safeguard facilities from infestations. Ecolab’s digital platform leverages IoT-enabled sensors and analytics to monitor water use, hygiene practices and equipment performance in real time, enabling proactive maintenance and compliance assurance.

Founded in 1923 as the Economics Laboratory by Merritt J. Osborn, the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and innovation to operate in more than 170 countries. Notable acquisitions include the 1999 purchase of the Nalco Holding Company, which expanded its water treatment capabilities, and subsequent integrations that have broadened its global footprint. Over its near-century history, Ecolab has maintained a focus on research and development, continually introducing new chemistries and technologies to address emerging challenges in public health and resource conservation.

Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ecolab employs over 50,000 people worldwide and is led by Chief Executive Officer Christophe Beck, who oversees the company’s global strategy and growth initiatives. The leadership team emphasizes sustainability, safety and operational excellence, aiming to deliver long-term value for customers, shareholders and communities. Through partnerships and ongoing investment in innovation, Ecolab continues to shape industry standards for water stewardship, hygiene and energy efficiency.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $271.89 to $274.17
• 50-Day Range: $238.90 to $274.32
• 52-Week Range: $220.96 to $274.17
• Volume: 513,655 shs
• Average Volume: 1.18 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $77.80 billion
• P/E Ratio: 37.27
• Dividend Yield: 0.95%
• Price Target: $286.47
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Ecolab Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Ecolab scored higher than 97% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 6th out of 189 stocks in the basic materials sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 2.4 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

Ecolab has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.82, and is based on 10 buy ratings, 5 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Ecolab has been the subject of 7 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.9 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 13.00%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Ecolab are expected to grow by 13.00% in the coming year, from $7.54 to $8.52 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Ecolab is 37.27, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 25.55.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Ecolab is 37.27, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Basic Materials sector average P/E ratio of about 93.52.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Ecolab has a PEG Ratio of 2.68. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Ecolab has a P/B Ratio of 8.84. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 5.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

0.87% of the float of Ecolab has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Ecolab has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.7, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Ecolab has recently decreased by 11.29%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Ecolab has a dividend yield of 0.95%, which is in the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Ecolab has been increasing its dividend for 33 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Ecolab is 35.33%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Ecolab will have a dividend payout ratio of 30.52% next year. This indicates that Ecolab will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 2.2 / 5
• Environmental Score: -2.63

Percentage of Shares Shorted

0.87% of the float of Ecolab has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Ecolab has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.7, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Ecolab has recently decreased by 11.29%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.6 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.41

News Sentiment

Ecolab has a news sentiment score of 1.41. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.51 average news sentiment score of Basic Materials companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 35 news articles for Ecolab this week, compared to 22 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

3 people have searched for ECL on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 50% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

Only 3 people have added Ecolab to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of 0% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Insider Trading: Acquiring Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Ecolab insiders have bought more of their company's stock than they have sold. Specifically, they have bought $125,875.00 in company stock and sold $0.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 0.04% of the stock of Ecolab is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

74.91% of the stock of Ecolab is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

ECL Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have ECL shares performed this year?

Ecolab's stock was trading at $234.32 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, ECL shares have increased by 17.1% and is now trading at $274.3150.

How were Ecolab's earnings last quarter?

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April, 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year.
Read the conference call transcript.

Does Ecolab have any subsidiaries?

Ecolab subsidiaries include Purolite, EPN Water Col Ltd., National Wiper Alliance Inc., TechTex Holdings Limited, VanBaele Hygiene AG, CID Lines, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd., and more.

Who are Ecolab's major shareholders?

Top institutional shareholders of Ecolab include Confluence Investment Management LLC (0.04%), Park National Corp OH (0.01%), Cullen Investment Group LTD. and Kera Capital Partners Inc.. Insiders that own company stock include William H Gates III, Christophe Beck, Arthur J Higgins, Victoria Reich, Laurie M Marsh, Angela M Busch, David Maclennan, Larry L Berger, Nicholas J Alfano, Gregory B Cook, Jennifer J Bradway, Machiel Duijser and Gail Peterson.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Ecolab?

Shares of ECL stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Ecolab own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Ecolab investors own include NVIDIA (NVDA), Meta Platforms (META), Broadcom (AVGO), Adobe (ADBE), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Arista Networks (ANET) and ServiceNow (NOW).

Company Calendar

• Record date for 4/15 Dividend: 3/18/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 4/15 Dividend: 3/18/2025
• Dividend Payable: 4/15/2025
• Last Earnings: 4/29/2025
• Record date for 7/15 Dividend: 6/17/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 7/15 Dividend: 6/17/2025
• Today: 7/04/2025
• Dividend Payable: 7/15/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 7/29/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Basic Materials
• Industry: CHEM - SPECIALTY
• Sub-Industry: Specialty Chemicals
• Current Symbol: NYSE:ECL
• CIK: 31462
• Web: www.ecolab.com
• Phone: (800) 232-6522
• Fax: 651-293-2092
• Employees: 48,000
• Year Founded: 1923

Price Target and Rating

• Average Stock Price Target: $286.47
• High Stock Price Target: $325.00
• Low Stock Price Target: $255.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +4.4%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.82
• Research Coverage: 17 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $7.36
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 37.27
• Forward P/E Ratio: 36.38
• P/E Growth: 2.68
• Net Income: $2.11 billion
• Net Margins: 13.41%
• Pretax Margin: 16.72%
• Return on Equity: 22.53%
• Return on Assets: 8.82%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.79
• Current Ratio: 1.32
• Quick Ratio: 0.98

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $15.74 billion
• Price / Sales: 4.94
• Cash Flow: $10.05 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 27.30
• Book Value: $31.04 per share
• Price / Book: 8.84

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 283,630,000
• Free Float: 283,520,000
• Market Cap: $77.80 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.03