ECL

Ecolab (ECL) is well positioned for faster earnings growth as its core business remains strong, its

Saint Paul, Minnesota-based Ecolab Inc. (ECL) provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company has a market cap of $79.7 billion and operates through four segments: Global Water, Global Institutional & Specialty, Global Pest Elimination, and Global Life Sciences. ECL is expected to release its Q2 2026 earnings on Tuesday, July 28, before the market opens. Ahead of the event, analysts expect the company’s EPS to be $2.08 on a diluted basis, up 10.1% from $1.89 in the year-ago quarter. The company has matched or exceeded Wall Street’s EPS estimates in three of its last four quarters, while missing on one occasion. SanDisk Slumps 10% But BofA Stays Bullish. Here Is How to Play SanDisk Stock Here. 1 High-Probability Iron Condor Trade on Broadcom Stock to Make Now with 29% Return Potential Nasdaq Futures Slip as Chip Stocks Extend Slide, U.S. Jobs Report in Focus Markets move fast. Keep up by reading our FREE midday Barchart Brief newsletter for exclusive charts, analysis, and headlines. For fiscal 2026, analysts project the company’s EPS to be $8.45, up 12.2% from $7.53 in fiscal 2025. Moreover, its EPS is expected to rise by roughly 14.6% year over year (YoY) to $9.680 in fiscal 2027. ECL stock has grown 4% over the past 52 weeks, lagging behind the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 20.2% rise and the State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLB) 13.8% rise during the same time frame. On Apr. 28, ECL stock declined marginally following the release of its Q1 2026 earnings. The company’s revenue for the quarter amounted to $4.1 billion, exceeding Wall Street’s forecasts. Moreover, its adjusted EPS came in at $1.70, matching the Street’s estimates. The company expects full-year earnings in the range of $8.43 to $8.63 per share. Analysts are moderately bullish on ECL, with the stock currently rated “Moderate Buy” overall. Among the 28 analysts covering the stock, 17 are recommending a “Strong Buy,” two suggest a “Moderate Buy,” and nine suggest a “Hold.” ECL’s average analyst price target is $317, indicating an upside of 11.9% from the current levels. On the date of publication, Aritra Gangopadhyay did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This artic...

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) is included among the 10 Dividend Stocks With Low Payout Ratios and Strong Upside Potential. On June 24, Citi raised its price recommendation on Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) to $330 from $325. It reiterated a Buy rating on the stock. The firm also placed Ecolab on an “upside 90-day catalyst watch,” calling it its top specialty chemicals pick heading into the second-quarter earnings season. Analyst Patrick Cunningham said the company stands to benefit the most from easing raw material costs. In a research note, he added that Ecolab’s “mission-critical” products put the company in a strong position to convert surcharges into structural pricing. On June 10, Wells Fargo raised its price goal on ECL to $275 from $260. It maintained an Equal Weight rating. The firm said it met with Investor Relations executive Andy Hedberg at its Industrials Conference and came away encouraged by Ecolab’s confidence in offsetting commodity cost pressures through its energy surcharge. Wells Fargo also noted that the company’s growth engines, particularly its High-Tech business, continue to drive growth. Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services designed to protect people and the resources essential to life. While we acknowledge the potential of ECL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks with Growing Dividends and 10 Reliable Dividend Stocks to Buy for Long-Term Investors Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News.

Investing.com -- Water solutions firm Ecolab’s shares rose after Citi initiated a positive catalyst watch on the stock, citing an improving cost environment and pricing momentum heading into the second half of the year. While raw material costs remain a headwind in the second quarter, Citi expects that pressure to ease as energy costs decline in the back half (2H) of 2026, creating room for gross margin (GM) expansion. “We see the pressure easing from lower energy cost environment in 2H, supporting favorable management commentary on GM expansion opportunities,” Citi analysts wrote. The team also pointed to Ecolab’s track record of turning temporary surcharges into permanent structural pricing gains. "In the past, ECL had demonstrated converting these surcharges into structural pricing and we see the company repeating this again, as ECL defends price actions through deliverable value to customers," the analysts said. Furthermore, Citi flagged two additional growth drivers for the second half. The expected close of the CoolIT acquisition in the third quarter is seen adding a favorable mix shift in the Water segment, given CoolIT’s exposure to higher-growth end markets. In Life Sciences, the bank anticipates greater volume growth as additional production capacity comes online in the second half. Ecolab agreed earlier this year to buy CoolIT Systems from KKR for about $4.75 billion in cash, betting on surging demand for data center cooling driven by artificial intelligence. CoolIT, whose customers include Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, designs and manufactures liquid cooling systems for hyperscale and colocation data center operators. Ecolab expects the move to complement its existing water, chemistry and digital monitoring capabilities, positioning it as a more complete provider of cooling and fluid management solutions. CoolIT is expected to generate roughly $550 million in revenue over the next 12 months, Ecolab said. Related articles Ecolab pops as Citi sees improving setup into Q2 earnings These 2 stocks are best positioned to benefit from higher uranium prices: analyst JPMorgan outlines ten strategic themes that could shape the outlook for 2026

A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Ecolab (ECL). Shares have added about 2.3% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500. But investors have to be wondering, will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Ecolab due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers. Ecolab has reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share of $2.08, up 14.9% year over year. The bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.8%. GAAP earnings per share for the quarter was $1.98, up 19.3% year over year. Full-year adjusted earnings per share was $7.53, reflecting a 13.2% increase from the year-ago period. The metric topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. ECL’s Revenue Details Revenues grossed $4.19 billion in the reported quarter, up 4.8% year over year. The metric topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.1%. Ecolab’s organic sales were $4 billion, up 2.9% from the prior-year period. Ecolab Digital sales increased 24% to $99 million, with double-digit growth across both software and enabling hardware subscriptions. Full-year revenues were $16.08 billion, reflecting a 2.2% improvement from the year-ago period on a reported basis (up 3% on an organic basis). The metric lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.2%. Ecolab’s Segmental Analysis The Global Water segment’s fixed currency sales of $2.02 billion marked 2.5% year-over-year growth. Organic sales were $2 billion, up 2.2% year over year. The segment’s underlying sales grew mid-single digits, excluding Basic Industries and Paper. Light & Heavy’s progress was led by strength in Global High-Tech, improved growth in downstream and solid gains in manufacturing, which offset softer sales in Basic Industries. Robust new business gains in Food & Beverage, which leveraged the One Ecolab growth strategy, drove a further acceleration in sales growth. Lower Paper sales reflected new business wins that were offset by soft customer production rates. The Global Institutional & Specialty arm’s fixed currency sales were $1.49 billion, a year-over-year uptick of 2.8% on a reported basis. Organic sales were also $1.49 billion, up 2.7% year over year. Institutional unit’s underlying performance reflected g...

Download the Complete Report Here Key Takeaways: Revenue growth remained positive in 1Q26, though the quarter primarily reflected continued early-scale execution rather than a step-function inflection. BOIL reported revenue of $1.26 million in 1Q26, up 24% y/y from $1.01 million and modestly above $1.24 million in 4Q25, implying an annualized run-rate of ~$5.0 million. The sequential increase of ~1% was limited, but the y/y growth confirms that commercial revenue is sustaining at a materially higher level than the prior-year base. The revenue increase reflected distributor revenue, additional revenue-generating agreements, and increased marketing efforts intended to expand global exposure, suggesting BOIL remains in the early phase of converting channel and customer development into recurring product demand. Strategic direction is now more clearly centered on revenue execution, customer rollout, and direct account-based selling. BOIL’s May strategic update reframes the next phase of commercialization around large strategic end customers, typically multi-location operators where the product can be deployed across dozens, hundreds, or thousands of sites. Target verticals include QSR, casual dining, other chain restaurants, hotels and hospitality groups, catering and institutional foodservice, supermarkets, and convenience-store operators. We believe this is a meaningful shift because it moves the commercial focus toward account-level penetration, operational integration, and repeat usage across high-value customers, while retaining targeted distribution support. The new U.S. fast-food chain rollout adds another important validation point for the direct-sales strategy. BOIL commenced commercial sales with a medium-sized American fast-food chain after a pilot validation program that began in late 2025 and expanded into a multi-location pilot in 1Q26. Initial commercial deployment has started with three franchisees across three U.S. states, while the broader chain has hundreds of locations across the U.S. and international markets. Although still early, the structure is attractive because it shows a clear progression from pilot validation to paid commercial sales, which is the key conversion point for BOIL’s refined go-to-market strategy. The announcement also came shortly after BOIL outlined its shift toward direct engagement with large multi-location operators,...

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) is one of the Best 52-Week Low Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. On May 5, RBC Capital analyst Ashish Sabadra reaffirmed a Buy rating on Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) and assigned a price target of $337 on the stock. This reflects an upside of 35% from current levels. This positive sentiment followed the company’s earnings report on April 28. On April 28, Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) posted its first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings. The company reported a revenue of $4.07 billion for Q1 2026, beating the Wall Street consensus of $4.03 billion. The adjusted Earnings per share came in at $1.7, which met analysts’ estimates. Going forward, the company expects earnings per share of $2.02 to $2.12 in the second quarter. The growth is expected to strengthen in Q3 and Q4. For the full year 2026, commodity costs are expected to increase in the high single digits. This will impact second-quarter earnings per share growth by a few points. Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services that protect people and critical resources. Its Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, along with cleaning and sanitizing solutions, primarily for large industrial customers. While we acknowledge the potential of ECL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 7 Best Data Center GPU-as-a-Service Stocks To Buy and 9 Stocks Big Short’s Michael Burry Is Betting On . Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News.

Never miss an important update on your stock portfolio and cut through the noise. Over 7 million investors trust Simply Wall St to stay informed where it matters for FREE. Ecolab (ECL) is back in focus after reporting first quarter results with higher revenue and earnings, issuing 2026 sales guidance, and expanding its life sciences footprint through a new bioprocessing lab in South Korea. See our latest analysis for Ecolab. Despite solid first quarter figures, new bioprocessing capacity in Korea and the planned CoolIT Systems acquisition, momentum has cooled recently, with the stock down 16.2% on a 90 day share price return while the 3 year total shareholder return is 49.1%. If Ecolab’s recent moves have you thinking about where else capital could work hard in critical infrastructure, it may be worth scanning 37 power grid technology and infrastructure stocks With Ecolab shares down over the past quarter despite higher quarterly earnings, 2026 sales guidance, and expansion in life sciences and data center cooling, investors face a key question: Is this a buying opportunity, or is future growth already priced in? Against the last close of $251.10, the most followed narrative points to a fair value of $318.95, framing Ecolab as materially undervalued on discounted cash flows. Read the complete narrative. Want to see what sits behind that margin story? The narrative leans on firm revenue growth, rising profitability and a rich future earnings multiple. Curious which assumptions really carry the valuation? Result: Fair Value of $318.95 (UNDERVALUED) Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts. However, softer demand in heavy industrial markets and higher input costs from tariffs and local suppliers could pressure margins and challenge the current undervalued narrative. Find out about the key risks to this Ecolab narrative. That 21.3% DCF undervaluation sits alongside a very different signal from earnings multiples. Ecolab trades on a P/E of 33.6x, compared with a fair ratio of 25x, a US Chemicals industry average of 24x and a peer average of 22.1x, which points to meaningful valuation risk if expectations slip. For a closer look at how those earnings multiples stack up and what they could imply if sentiment cools, See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown. Seeing mixed signals on value an...

In late April 2026, Ecolab reported higher first-quarter revenue of US$4,066.1 million and net income of US$432.6 million, while Ecolab Life Sciences opened its first Asian Bioprocessing Applications Lab in Dongtan, Korea to support local biopharmaceutical process development. This combination of expanding bioprocessing capabilities in a major biosimilars hub and higher earnings adds weight to Ecolab’s life sciences and high-tech growth focus. We’ll now examine how the new Korea bioprocessing lab refines Ecolab’s investment narrative built around pricing power and growth engines. This technology could replace computers: discover 26 stocks that are working to make quantum computing a reality. To own Ecolab, you need to believe in its ability to compound value through pricing power, recurring service relationships and targeted growth in higher value niches like Life Sciences and high tech water solutions. The Q1 2026 revenue and earnings uplift, alongside the new Korea bioprocessing lab, supports the near term catalyst of mix shift toward these growth engines, while the biggest current risk remains cost pressure from tariffs and local sourcing, which could still squeeze margins despite recent progress. The launch of the AI enabled Water Navigator IQ platform is especially relevant here, as it reinforces Ecolab’s push into higher value, data driven offerings that can support pricing resilience. Together with the Korea Bioprocessing Applications Lab and Q1 earnings strength, it fits the current narrative of Ecolab leaning harder into technology rich solutions that can offset input cost volatility and softer heavy industrial demand. Yet beneath this push into higher value Life Sciences and digital solutions, there is a margin risk investors should be aware of if... Read the full narrative on Ecolab (it's free!) Ecolab's narrative projects $20.2 billion revenue and $3.0 billion earnings by 2029. Uncover how Ecolab's forecasts yield a $318.95 fair value, a 23% upside to its current price. Three fair value estimates from the Simply Wall St Community span about US$243 to US$319 per share, showing how far apart individual views can be. You can weigh those against the near term risk that higher local supplier and tariff related costs compress margins faster than Ecolab’s new growth engines can support earnings. Explore 3 other fair value estimates on Ecolab - why the s...

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ecolab Inc. (ECL) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Adjusted Diluted EPS Growth: 13% growth in the first quarter. Organic Sales Growth: 4% increase, driven by 3% value pricing and 1% volume growth. Operating Income Margin Expansion: Expanded by 70 basis points to 16.8%. Global High-tech and Digital Growth: More than 20% growth. Life Sciences Growth: Accelerated to 11%, with bioprocessing sales more than doubling. Pest Elimination Growth: 7% growth. Specialty Growth: 9% growth driven by cost-optimizing innovation. Food and Beverage Growth: 5% growth. Organic Operating Income Margin: Expanded by 70 basis points to 16.8%. Expected EPS Growth for 2026: 12% to 15% growth, excluding short-term impact from CoolIT acquisition. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with AVB. Is ECL fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: April 28, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) reported a strong first quarter with adjusted diluted EPS growth of 13%, driven by a 4% increase in organic sales. The company experienced significant growth in its Global High-tech and digital sectors, both exceeding 20% growth, fueled by digital adoption and AI infrastructure expansion. Life Sciences saw an 11% growth, particularly in bioprocessing, where sales more than doubled, indicating successful investments in talent and innovation. Pest Elimination delivered a robust 7% growth, supported by share gains from the One Ecolab initiative and the new Pest Intelligence offering. Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) is on track to achieve its 20% operating income margin target by 2027, with expectations of further margin expansion in the second half of the year. The company faces high single-digit commodity cost inflation, which is expected to persist throughout the year, impacting second-quarter EPS growth. The pending CoolIT acquisition is anticipated to reduce quarterly EPS by approximately $0.20 in the second half of the year. Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) is dealing with challenges in its paper and heavy water segments, which have been under pressure and are only beginning to stabilize. The conflict in the Middle East has led to increased global energy costs, adding pressure across supply chains. Despite strong overall performance, the company acknowledges that the operating environment remains d...

Ecolab (ECL) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.7 per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate . This compares to earnings of $1.5 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +0.06%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this cleaning, food-safety and pest-control services company would post earnings of $2.06 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.08, delivering a surprise of +0.97%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Ecolab, which belongs to the Zacks Chemical - Specialty industry, posted revenues of $4.07 billion for the quarter ended March 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.05%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $3.7 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Ecolab shares have added about 2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 4.8%. While Ecolab has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Ecolab was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy)...