Ecolab (ECL)
NYSEMaterialsChemicals - SpecialtySnapshot 2026-10-29
$302.98+0.70%
Close 2026-10-30 · 1-day change
NYSEMaterialsChemicals - SpecialtySnapshot 2026-10-29
Research Workspace
Put ECL beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Specialty Chemicals is in recovery. Describes the industry's cycle state, not a call on this stock.
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar under pressure — Achieve adjusted diluted EPS of about $8.53 in 2026: Comparison needs review.
View ThesisRevenue is growing steadily — about 7% over the past year.
View GrowthMiddle-of-the-pack quality for its industry.
View QualityManagement screens strong on capital allocation, earnings delivery, margins, guidance credibility.
View ManagementExpectations look high — the market is pricing in about 46% growth a year, above the roughly 12% analysts expect, leaving little room for error.
View ValuationModerate volatility — typically moves about 1% a day.
View RiskEcolab’s growth case rests on sustained organic sales growth and EPS expansion. Recent financial performance is strong, though earnings quality is mixed. Revenue grew 13% year over year in both reported periods, and latest EPS was inline. Ecolab trades at 37× P/E versus 17× for peers and 35× its history. The market is pricing in more growth than our forecast, leaving expectations full. The specific risk is premium compression: its peer multiple gap must be earned. The next-quarter miss probability is 19%, and the annual EPS comparison needs review. Peer multiples imply a price about 46% below where it trades; the thesis is on watch, this read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-10-30. ECL is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 25 analysts currently covering ECL (as of Oct 2026).
Based on 6 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for ECL in the last 4 months.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECL Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 13 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-10-29. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Specialty Chemicals — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Compare the value case
Put ECL next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Advances: Drive strong organic sales growth and EPS expansion
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-10-30. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $302.98
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $302.98.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Around the middle on quality vs scored peers
A second lens on the 12-month fair value: for companies that score high on measured quality (profitability, balance-sheet safety, earnings stability), this read trusts more of today's profit margins instead of averaging them toward their multi-year history the way the headline number does. Shown alongside the fair value above, not in place of it. A diagnostic, not a price target or a buy/sell signal.
Direction of the business behind the multiple. Bands are backend reads; trailing-12-month basis.
Upper-end sales outlook and 20% margin target support growth and earnings-expansion objectives.
Advances: Drive strong organic sales growth and EPS expansion
Reported 7% organic growth and margin expansion support sales growth and EPS expansion.
Advances: Advance One Ecolab growth strategy and scale growth engines
Strategic investment advances Ecolab's water-circularity growth strategy, though its financial contribution is not specified.
Advances: Drive strong organic sales growth and EPS expansion
Strong growth in Life Sciences supports organic sales growth.
Advances: Maintain EPS growth
Raises EPS outlook, aligns with growth objectives.
Advances: Achieve quarterly EPS targets
Earnings call details align with achieving EPS targets.
Advances: Maintain EPS growth
Organic growth acceleration supports EPS growth objective.
Advances: Maintain EPS growth
Higher profit forecast supports EPS growth objective.