FY2027 EPS Estimates for Ecolab Lifted by Erste Group Bank

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2027 EPS estimates for shares of Ecolab in a research note issued on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $9.38 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $9.36. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $8.17 per share.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS.

ECL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $279.99 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.49 billion, a PE ratio of 37.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $278.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.41.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 26,161.1% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 129,279,498 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,018,561,000 after buying an additional 128,787,212 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter worth approximately $6,422,340,000. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter worth approximately $244,381,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $1,022,334,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

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.