Ecolab Inc.

Valuation Analysis

About the Company

Ecolab Inc. provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Global Water, Global Institutional & Specialty, Global Pest Elimination, and Global Life Sciences. The Global Water segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, primary metals and mining, power generation, global refining, petrochemical, pulp and paper industries. The Global Institutional & Specialty segment provides cleaning and sanitizing products to the foodservice, healthcare, hospitality, lodging, government, education and retail industries. The Global Pest Elimination segment provides pest elim

Ecolab Inc. Stock at a Glance

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) is currently trading at $265.41 with a market capitalization of $74.7B. The trailing P/E ratio stands at 35.96x, with a forward P/E of 27.64x. The 52-week range spans from $243.15 to $309.27; the current price is 14.2% below the yearly high. Year-over-year revenue growth stands at +10.0%. The net profit margin stands at 12.8%.

💰 Dividend

Ecolab Inc. pays an annual dividend of $2.92 per share, representing a yield of 1.1%. The payout ratio stands at 37.35%.

📊 Analyst Rating

21 analysts rate Ecolab Inc. (ECL) on consensus: Buy. The average price target is $317.14, implying +19.49% from the current price. Analyst price targets range from $270.00 to $345.00.

Ecolab Inc.: The Investment Case in Detail

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) operates in the Basic Materials — specifically Specialty Chemicals — and is headquartered in United States. Below is a structured read of the investment case built directly from the latest fundamentals, valuation multiples, analyst positioning and smart-money flows. Each section translates raw numbers into the investment logic they imply, so you can decide whether the risk/reward fits your portfolio.

The Bull Case

Revenue is growing at a healthy 10% pace year-over-year, suggesting the business model continues to find new customers and pricing power. The combination of a 44.37% gross margin and 16.93% operating margin shows the business converts revenue into profit efficiently — a hallmark of competitive moat. Wall Street consensus sits at Buy with an average price target implying roughly 19.49% upside from current levels — analyst sentiment is firmly constructive.

The Bear Case

Our valuation screen flags the stock as overvalued — current multiples imply the business needs to deliver well above its recent trajectory to justify the price.

What to Watch Next

• The forward P/E of 27.64x is meaningfully below the trailing 35.96x — analysts expect earnings to step up; the next earnings release is the test.

Investment Thesis: Strengths & Weaknesses

Technical Snapshot

The price is in a transition zone relative to the moving averages — no clear signal.

Risk Profile

The data points to relatively defensive market behavior.

Trading Data

💵 Dividend Info

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