FY2027 EPS Estimates for Ecolab Reduced by Erste Group Bank

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Analysts at Erste Group Bank lowered their FY2027 EPS estimates for shares of Ecolab in a report released on Monday, July 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the basic materials company will earn $9.35 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $9.40. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $8.18 per share.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.06.

Ecolab Trading Up 4.5%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $283.49 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $79.79 billion, a PE ratio of 38.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $267.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $273.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Ecolab News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.09, above the $2.08 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 9.7% year over year to $4.42 billion, also exceeding expectations. Adjusted EPS increased 11% from the prior-year period. Ecolab Q2 results and outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $8.05-$8.25, representing expected growth of 7%-10%. Management cited better pricing, volume growth, productivity gains and accelerating organic sales, including particularly strong performance in High-Tech and Life Sciences. Ecolab beats Q2 estimates and raises outlook
• Positive Sentiment: William Blair analyst Tim Mulrooney reiterated a Buy rating after the earnings beat, citing the raised outlook and improving margins. This reinforces a constructive analyst view of ECL’s earnings trajectory. William Blair Buy rating
• Negative Sentiment: Ecolab’s third-quarter adjusted EPS guidance of $2.13-$2.23 is below the $2.27 analyst consensus, suggesting near-term earnings expectations may be too high despite the full-year outlook increase.
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate to $9.35 from $9.40. The cut is modest, but it signals slightly reduced longer-term earnings expectations. Ecolab analyst estimate update

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.