With a market cap of around $78 billion, Ecolab Inc. (ECL) is a global leader in water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services. The company operates through four reportable segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; Global Healthcare & Life Sciences; and Global Pest Elimination, serving a wide range of industries from foodservice and healthcare to energy and manufacturing.
Companies valued at $10 billion or more are generally considered "large-cap" stocks, and Ecolab fits this criterion perfectly. With its portfolio of specialized technologies and services, Ecolab helps customers ensure clean environments, safe food, optimized water and energy use, and improved operational efficiency worldwide.
Shares of the Saint Paul, Minnesota-based company have declined 3.1% from its 52-week high of $286.04. Over the past three months, Ecolab's shares have risen over 3%, underperforming the broader Dow Jones Industrials Average's ($DOWI) 7.5% gain during the same period.
Longer term, ECL stock is up 17.4% on a YTD basis, outperforming DOWI's 7.2% rise. Moreover, shares of the water solutions company have returned 11.5% over the past 52 weeks, compared to DOWI’s 11.3% increase over the same time frame.
The stock has been in a bullish trend, consistently trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages since May.
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.
However, ECL stock has outperformed than its rival, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD). APD stock has risen marginally on a YTD basis and 6.2% over the past 52 weeks.
Despite the stock’s outperformance over the past year, analysts remain cautiously optimistic about its prospects. ECL stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from 27 analysts in coverage, and the mean price target of $281.90 is a premium of 2.4% to 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.
