Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on ECL. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.33.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock traded up $8.82 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $296.98. The company had a trading volume of 592,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,193,566. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. 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 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $296.23. The firm has a market cap of $84.12 billion, a PE ratio of 42.68, 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $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. On average, analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,999.50. The trade was a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly EPS beat — Ecolab reported $2.08 EPS vs. a $2.06 consensus, up from $1.81 a year ago, showing ongoing operating leverage. Ecolab (ECL) Tops Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 profit outlook above consensus — management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.43–$8.63, which sits slightly above the Street midpoint and signals confidence in sustained demand across segments. Ecolab forecasts 2026 profit above estimates on strong demand
• Positive Sentiment: Management cites strong end-market demand — commentary accompanying the results highlighted continued growth drivers for cleaning, sanitization and cooling products/services that support the raised outlook. Ecolab forecasts 2026 profit above estimates on strong demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 guidance roughly in line — Q1 EPS guide of $1.670–$1.730 compares to a $1.690 consensus, effectively in line with expectations and implying steady start to FY‑2026.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue guidance range wide but centered near consensus — management gave FY revenue guidance of ~$17.2–17.5B vs. Street ~17.2B, which is supportive but leaves room for execution risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue marginally missed — reported revenue of $4.19B vs. a $4.20B consensus, a small miss that investors may watch for any signs of softening end‑market volumes. Press Release / Slide Deck

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ECL. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 55.0% in the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 2,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $619,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 10.4% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,120 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.7% in the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 12,759 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,494,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,725,000. Finally, Harvest Investment Services LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harvest Investment Services LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $475,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.