Erste Group Bank Has Weak Outlook for Ecolab FY2027 Earnings

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank lowered their FY2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of Ecolab in a report issued on Friday, September 18th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the basic materials company will earn $9.36 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $9.38. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $8.17 per share.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on ECL. Citigroup upped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Ecolab from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $276.27 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.08, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $277.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $270.50.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth $6,422,340,000. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $244,381,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $1,022,334,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $880,506,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) provides water, hygiene, infection prevention and technology solutions to businesses and institutions worldwide. Its customers include restaurants, hotels, hospitals, manufacturers, food and beverage companies, retailers and other organizations that rely on safe, efficient and sustainable operating environments.

The company’s offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment and process-management systems, food-safety programs, infection-prevention solutions and pest-elimination services.