Erste Group Bank Has Negative View of Ecolab FY2026 Earnings

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank cut their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Ecolab in a research note issued on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the basic materials company will earn $8.50 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $8.52. Erste Group Bank currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $7.54 per share.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $260.82 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $285.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.68. The company has a market cap of $73.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $309.27.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 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.