Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.670-1.730 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.690. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Ecolab also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.430-8.630 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Mizuho set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.33.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.8%

ECL stock opened at $288.11 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $271.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $270.72. Ecolab has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $291.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.02. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total value of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

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