Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.130-2.230 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.270. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $271.19 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $267.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.19. The company has a market capitalization of $76.32 billion, a PE ratio of 36.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. 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) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective 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. UBS Group raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $417,747,000 after purchasing an additional 813,996 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Ecolab by 195.9% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $183,699,000 after acquiring an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,069,468,000 after buying an additional 441,747 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 115.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $193,753,000 after purchasing an additional 389,981 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 66.3% in the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 542,380 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $146,139,000 after acquiring an additional 216,273 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.