Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 8.430-8.630 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 8.460. The company issued revenue guidance of $17.2 billion-$17.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $17.2 billion. Ecolab also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 1.670-1.730 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ECL. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 target price on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $297.33.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $288.11 on Tuesday. Ecolab has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $291.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.40, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $271.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $270.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.02. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 41.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $77,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 23.3% in the 3rd quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

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.