Erste Group Bank Has Negative View of Ecolab FY2026 Earnings

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank dropped their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Ecolab in a note issued to investors on Monday, April 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $8.48 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $8.50. Erste Group Bank currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $8.45 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Ecolab’s FY2027 earnings at $9.66 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.82.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $266.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.66, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. Ecolab has a 12 month low of $240.92 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $277.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.02 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue beat and organic growth acceleration — Ecolab reported $4.07B in revenue (vs. ~$4.02B est.) and organic sales accelerated to +4%, led by Life Sciences, Global High?Tech, Institutional and Specialty; management cited double?digit EPS growth on pricing and volume. Ecolab press release
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call highlighted growth and margin momentum — management emphasized continued demand in key end markets and margin expansion initiatives, supporting the company’s medium?term outlook. Earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 EPS in line with expectations — adjusted EPS was $1.70, matching consensus, showing steady year?over?year EPS growth but not a surprise to analysts. Zacks: EPS match
• Neutral Sentiment: FY 2026 guidance maintained (8.43–8.63 EPS) — management kept its full?year adjusted EPS range essentially intact, which limits downside to long?term estimates but signals modest near?term conservatism. Guidance details
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 EPS guidance comes in slightly below consensus — the Q2 range of $2.02–2.12 is marginally under the Street midpoint, and management cited cost pressures tied to geopolitical developments (Iran war) that could weigh near?term profit. MSN: Q2 guidance/analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Gross margin pressure noted — coverage flagged tighter gross margins in Q1 despite volume and pricing gains, a factor investors watch closely for margin recovery. Zacks: gross margin
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst tweaks cut near?term EPS slightly — Erste Group trimmed FY2026 (8.50?8.48) and FY2027 (9.70?9.66) estimates and keeps a Hold rating, signaling only modest upside from current consensus. (Note: estimate adjustments reported in analyst notes.)

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.