Ecolab Inc. (ECL) Stock Price & Analysis
Ecolab Inc. (ECL) closed at USD 292.3 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, up 1.46% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 288.09; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 286.94–292.58 on volume of 1,249,561 shares. Market capitalization is $81.94B, with a 52-week range of USD 243.15–309.27 (NYQ). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/ECL.md
Key facts (ECL)
- Last four reported quarters (through Jun 30, 2026): revenue $16.8B, net income $2.12B (12.6% margin), free cash flow $1.87B (SEC filings).
- Valuation: P/E 38.7x (avg 36.4x at the last 3 fiscal year-ends), EV/EBITDA 25.3x, net debt $8.04B.
- 4 of 80 tracked superinvestors hold ECL (13F, Q2 2026): 0 new, 1 added, 1 reduced, 2 unchanged.
- Analysts: Buy (mean 1.96 on a 1–5 scale) (24 analysts), mean target USD 325.05 (range 295–360).
- Total return with dividends: 1Y +7.4% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y +39.6% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-10-27, EPS estimate USD 2.17, revenue estimate $4.70B.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (ECL)
| USD | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $12.7B | $14.2B | $15.3B | $15.7B | $16.1B | $16.8B |
| Gross profit | $5.12B | $5.36B | $6.17B | $6.84B | $7.15B | — |
| Operating income | $1.60B | $1.56B | $1.99B | $2.80B | $2.74B | $2.85B |
| Net income | $1.13B | $1.09B | $1.37B | $2.11B | $2.08B | $2.12B |
| EPS (diluted) | $3.91 | $3.81 | $4.79 | $7.37 | $7.28 | — |
| Free cash flow | $1.42B | $1.08B | $1.64B | $1.82B | $1.90B | $1.87B |
| Gross margin | 40.2% | 37.8% | 40.2% | 43.5% | 44.5% | — |
| Operating margin | 12.6% | 11.0% | 13.0% | 17.8% | 17.0% | 16.9% |
| Net margin | 8.9% | 7.7% | 9.0% | 13.4% | 12.9% | 12.6% |
| Revenue growth | +8.0% | +11.4% | +8.0% | +2.7% | +2.2% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $360M | $599M | $920M | $1.26B | $646M | — |
| Total debt | $8.76B | $8.58B | $8.18B | $7.56B | $8.13B | — |
Fiscal years end Dec. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Jun 30, 2026) (ECL)
P/E 38.7x · P/S 4.9x · EV/EBITDA 25.3x · EV/Sales 5.3x · P/FCF 43.7x · P/B 8.2x · FCF yield 2.29% · Earnings yield 2.58% · Dividend yield (paid, TTM) 0.97% · Buyback yield (TTM) 1.53% · Net debt $8.04B · EV $90.0B
P/E at fiscal year-ends: Dec 2025 36.1x, Dec 2024 31.8x, Dec 2023 41.4x.
Superinvestors (SEC 13F-HR, Q2 2026) (ECL)
4 of 80 tracked investors hold ECL. Each row is the investor's latest 13F; change is vs their prior-quarter share count.
| Investor | Firm | % of portfolio | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Gates | Gates Foundation Trust | 4.22% | $1.45B | Unchanged |
| Mairs & Power | Mairs & Power Funds | 1.99% | $217M | Added +2.1% |
| Thomas Gayner | Markel Group | 0.58% | $76.4M | Unchanged |
| Jensen Investment Management | 0.39% | $16.3M | Reduced -0.7% |
Analysts (ECL)
Consensus Buy (mean 1.96 on a 1–5 scale), 24 analysts; mean target USD 325.05 (low 295, high 360).
Rating changes, last 120 days:
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | UBS | Target raised | Buy | $342 → $344 |
| 2026-07-30 | Wells Fargo | Target raised | Equal-Weight | $275 → $295 |
| 2026-07-29 | Mizuho | Target raised | Outperform | $325 → $327 |
| 2026-07-29 | BMO Capital | Target raised | Outperform | $345 → $360 |
| 2026-07-29 | JP Morgan | Target raised | Overweight | $295 → $305 |
| 2026-07-17 | Oppenheimer | Upgrade | Perform → Outperform | $320 |
| 2026-07-09 | Deutsche Bank | Target raised | Buy | $325 → $335 |
| 2026-07-07 | RBC Capital | Reiterated | Outperform | $337 |
Total return (dividends reinvested) (ECL)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | +7.4% | +39.6% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | +7.5% | +6.9% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 21.8% | 24.4% |
| Max drawdown | -20.1% (Feb 2026→May 2026) | -42.1% (Nov 2021→Oct 2022) |
ECL analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter (ends Sep 2026) | $2.17 | $2.17 | +0.3% | $4.70B | 19 |
| Next quarter (ends Dec 2026) | $2.20 | $2.19 | +0.3% | $4.75B | 19 |
| Current fiscal year (ends Dec 2026) | $8.16 | $8.18 | -0.2% | $17.92B | 22 |
| Next fiscal year (ends Dec 2027) | $9.38 | $9.36 | +0.2% | $19.34B | 22 |
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC)
| Price | USD 292.3 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▲ 1.46% (up) |
| Previous Close | USD 288.09 |
| Open | USD 287.81 |
| Day Range | USD 286.94 – 292.58 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 243.15 – 309.27 |
| Volume | 1,249,561 shares |
| Market Cap | $81.94B |
| Exchange | NYQ |
Technical Analysis (ECL)
Nexqual's technical model rates ECL "BUY" based on 5 bullish and 1 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
| Overall Signal | BUY |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 64.62 (neutral) |
| vs SMA50 | Above (USD 280.17) |
| MACD | 3.38 (positive) |
Analyst Ratings (ECL)
Wall Street analysts rate ECL "Buy" based on 24 analysts, with a mean price target of USD 325.05 (range USD 295–360), per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | Buy |
|---|---|
| Analyst Count | 24 |
| Mean Target | USD 325.05 |
| High Target | USD 360 |
| Low Target | USD 295 |
| Buy / Hold / Sell | 20 / 4 / 0 |
Earnings (ECL)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-10-27 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD 2.17 |
| Revenue Estimate | $4.70B |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | USD 2.09 vs est 2.08 ▲ beat |
| 2026-03-31 | USD 1.7 vs est 1.7 ▲ beat |
| 2025-12-31 | USD 2.08 vs est 2.07 ▲ beat |
| 2025-09-30 | USD 2.07 vs est 2.07 ▼ miss |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (ECL)
| Total Revenue | $16.84B |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | +9.70% |
| Gross Margin | +44.21% |
| Operating Margin | +18.52% |
| Profit Margin | +12.57% |
| ROE | +21.96% |
| Debt / Equity | 1.38 |
| Current Ratio | 1.84 |
| Total Cash | $5.14B |
| Total Debt | $13.92B |
| Free Cash Flow (last four quarters to Jun 2026, SEC 10-Q / 10-K) | $1.87B (11.1% of revenue) |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Financial Health Score (ECL)
Nexqual rates Ecolab Inc.'s overall financial health "Solid" across five dimensions, as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
| Growth | Mixed — Revenue +2.2% YoY (annual), slow |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Strong — Gross margin 44%, operating 19% (last 12 months) |
| Balance Sheet | Mixed — $5.14B cash and investments vs $13.2B debt (Jun 2026, SEC) |
| Cash Flow | Solid — FCF $1.87B (last 4 quarters to Jun 2026, SEC), 11% margin |
| Efficiency | Strong — ROE 22%, ROA 7.2% |
Ownership (ECL)
| Insider Ownership | +0.15% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +94.10% |
| Shares Outstanding | 280.33M |
| Float | 279.75M |
| Short % of Float | +2.19% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Leadership (ECL)
Ecolab Inc. is led by Christophe Beck, CEO, President & Chairman of the Board, per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
| CEO, President & Chairman of the Board | Christophe Beck |
|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | Scott D. Kirkland |
| Executive Vice President of Human Resources | Margeaux M. King |
| Co-Chief Operating Officer of Global Markets | Darrell R. Brown |
| Co-Chief Operating Officer of Global Businesses | Gregory Russell B. Cook |
Major Backers & Investors (ECL)
Notable institutional backers of Ecolab Inc. include JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Gates Foundation Trust, according to Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| JPMorgan | 5.22% |
| Morgan Stanley | 2.79% |
| Gates Foundation Trust | 1.86% |
| UBS AM, a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC | 1.29% |
| Royal Bank of Canada | 1.29% |
| Fidelity | 1.17% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| BlackRock | 8.22% |
| Vanguard Group | 8.15% |
| State Street | 4.2% |
| Geode Capital | 2.14% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Peers & Related Stocks
| Symbol | Name | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHW | Sherwin-Williams Company (The) | USD 345.63 | ▲ 2.48% |
| APD | Air Products and Chemicals, Inc | USD 308.22 | ▲ 1.84% |
| LIN | Linde plc | USD 510.36 | ▲ 1.96% |
| PPG | PPG Industries, Inc. | USD 113.09 | ▲ 2.65% |
| IFF | International Flavors & Fragran | USD 93.83 | ▲ 3.08% |
| LYB | LyondellBasell Industries NV | USD 65.37 | ▲ 3.32% |
Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
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