Seaport Res Ptn Analysts Cut Earnings Estimates for Ecolab

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Equities research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lowered their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Ecolab in a report released on Friday, September 5th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $1.72 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.82. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $7.54 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ecolab’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.36 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $2.37 EPS.

ECL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.00.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $270.77 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $76.79 billion, a PE ratio of 36.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $272.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $261.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Ecolab has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter worth $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 176.7% in the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 202.6% during the second quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. The trade was a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total transaction of $225,378.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.