With a market cap of $79.8 billion, Ecolab Inc. (ECL) is a global leader in water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services. The company operates through four segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; Global Healthcare & Life Sciences; and Global Pest Elimination, serving diverse industries including food, healthcare, energy, and hospitality worldwide.
The Saint Paul, Minnesota-based company is slated to announce its fiscal Q3 2025 earnings results before the market opens on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Ahead of this event, analysts expect Ecolab to report an adjusted EPS of $2.07, a 13.1% rise from $1.83 in the year-ago quarter. It has exceeded or met Wall Street's earnings expectations in three of the past four quarters while missing on another occasion.
For fiscal 2025, analysts forecast the water solutions company to report adjusted EPS of $7.53, marking an increase of 13.2% from $6.65 in fiscal 2024. In addition, adjusted EPS is anticipated to grow 13.3% year-over-year to $8.53 in fiscal 2026.
Shares of Ecolab have risen 11.4% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming the broader S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 17.4% return. However, the stock has outpaced the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund's (XLB) 4.8% dip over the same time frame.
Despite reporting better-than-expected Q2 2025 revenue of $4.03 billion, Ecolab shares fell 3.9% on Jul. 29 because adjusted EPS of $1.89 narrowly missed Wall Street’s forecast. Investors were also cautious after the company noted reduced demand for cleaning, sanitization, and cooling services, with sales in its Global Institutional & Specialty segment falling 2.4% to $1.5 billion year-over-year.
Analysts' consensus view on ECL stock is cautiously optimistic, with an overall "Moderate Buy" rating. Among 27 analysts covering the stock, 12 suggest a "Strong Buy," two give a "Moderate Buy," and 13 recommend a "Hold." This configuration is slightly more bullish than three months ago, with 11 analysts suggesting a "Strong Buy."
The average analyst price target for Ecolab is $289.40, indicating a potential upside of 2.9% from the current levels.
On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal 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. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
