Ecolab Inc. (ECL) Stock Forecast Oct. 16, 2026
Analysis updated on Oct. 16, 2026 (UTC) · Total · absolute moveSwitch to Alpha · NYSE
Ecolab Inc. (ECL) stock forecast summary
Our AI ranks Ecolab Inc. outside the neutral middle of its coverage (a directional signal). Create a free account and follow it to see the exact price target.
Ecolab Inc. is a large-cap company with a market capitalization of $80.98B. It ranks number 3 by market capitalization among the 6 Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics issuers in our coverage with a current forecast.
For ECL, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 35.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 11.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
Expected absolute price move over the horizon, market included. This is the number a price target is built from. Ratings: strong buy ≥ +5.0%, buy ≥ +3.4%, sell < +1.8%, strong sell < +0.8% (top 15%, next 20%, middle 30%, next 20%, bottom 15% of the 2026-10-16 signals)
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How ECL ranks among 5171 stocks
90D Total forecasts of every company scored, cut into five relative ratings at the 15th, 35th, 65th and 85th percentiles (dashed lines).
Ecolab Inc. (ECL) fundamentals
Trailing twelve months. The industry median and the rank (1 = highest) are taken over the Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics peers listed below that report each metric.
Valuation & Market
| Metric | ECL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $80.98B | 3/6 |
| P/E Ratio | 38.78x | 2/5 |
| P/B Ratio | 8.05x | – |
| Dividend Yield | 0.99% | – |
| EPS | $7.45 | – |
| Book Value/Share | $35.87 | – |
| Revenue/Share | $60.08 | – |
| FCF/Share | $6.69 | – |
Profitability & Margins
| Metric | ECL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| ROE | 21.1% | – |
| ROA | 7.1% | 4/5 |
| ROIC | 11.9% | 4/5 |
| Gross Margin | 44.1% | 4/6 |
| Operating Margin | 16.9% | 4/6 |
| Net Margin | 12.6% | 3/5 |
| EBT Margin | 15.6% | 3/6 |
| Tax Rate | 18.9% | – |
Financial Health
| Metric | ECL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 1.84x | 1/5 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.57x | 1/5 |
| D/E Ratio | 1.97x | 2/5 |
| Financial Leverage | 2.98x | 2/5 |
| Interest Coverage | 8.1x | 2/5 |
| Working Capital | $5.03B | 1/5 |
Cash Flow
| Metric | ECL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash Flow | $3.06B | 3/6 |
| Free Cash Flow | $1.87B | – |
| Capital Spending | -$1.18B | – |
| OCF Growth YoY | 16.5% | – |
| FCF Growth YoY | 19.1% | – |
| FCF/Sales | 11.1% | – |
| CapEx/Sales | 7.0% | – |
Operational Efficiency
| Metric | ECL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Turnover | 0.56x | 6/6 |
| Receivables Turnover | 4.9x | 5/5 |
| Inventory Turnover | 5.7x | 3/5 |
| Fixed Assets Turnover | 3.8x | 4/5 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | 75 days | 1/5 |
| Days Inventory | 64 days | 3/5 |
| Payables Period | 84 days | 2/5 |
| Cash Conversion Cycle | 55 days | 2/5 |
Income Statement
| Metric | ECL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $16.84B | 3/6 |
| Operating Income | $2.85B | 3/6 |
| Net Income | $2.12B | 3/5 |
| SG&A Expense | $4.38B | 3/5 |
| Cost of Goods Sold | $9.41B | 3/6 |
Dividend & Shareholder Information
| Metric | ECL | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Dividends Per Share | $2.85 | – |
| Payout Ratio | 38.3% | – |
| Shares Outstanding | 280M | – |
| Net Income Growth | -0.9% | – |
| EPS Growth | -0.4% | 4/5 |
Balance Sheet Highlights (USD millions)
| Total Current Assets | $11.02B | 36.8% of assets |
| Cash & Short-term Investments | $5.14B | 17.2% of assets |
| Accounts Receivable | $3.45B | 11.5% of assets |
| Inventory | $1.64B | 5.5% of assets |
| Total Liabilities | $19.84B | 66.3% of assets |
| Short-term Debt | $3.83B | 12.8% of assets |
ECL quarterly financials and insider trading
Ecolab Inc. (ECL) industry peers
Companies classified under the same SEC industry code as Ecolab Inc. (Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics): 6 common-stock issuers with a forecast this week, one row per issuer, largest first. This is a classification match, not a curated list of competitors.
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Ecolab Inc. (ECL) stock news
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Ecolab Inc. (ECL) stock forecast FAQ
What is the Ecolab Inc. (ECL) stock forecast?
Our AI ranks Ecolab Inc. outside the neutral middle of its coverage (a directional signal). Create a free account and follow it to see the exact price target.
How accurate are Ecolab Inc. stock predictions?
For ECL, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 35.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 11.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
How often are Ecolab Inc. forecasts updated?
Ecolab Inc. forecasts are refreshed on trading days as the daily model run completes. The forecast on this page was produced on Oct. 16, 2026.
Which companies are Ecolab Inc.'s industry peers?
6 issuers in our coverage, ECL included, share the SEC industry code Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics. The largest are: Procter & Gamble Co (PG), Unilever Plc (UL), Church & Dwight Co Inc /De/ (CHD), Stepan Co (SCL), Longevity Health Holdings, Inc. (XAGE).
This analysis is generated automatically using our proprietary AI systems and should not be considered personalized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always conduct your own research and consider consulting a financial advisor before making investment decisions.