Stock Analysis
Ecolab, Inc.ECL
P/E 38.27×· 5Y range 30.62–62.09×· 39th percentile of history
Sector: Consumer Defensive · Industry: Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics
AnalystsStrong Buy30 analystsP/E 38.3× sits at the 39th percentile of its 5.0978781656399725-year history.
Cash covers 37% of debt · Q2 2026.
PMP Verdict
High quality, fairly valued
Strengths
- Quality87
- Financial Health80
Strong fundamentals at a reasonable valuation.
Bull Case
- ✓Altman Z 3.7 — safe-zone balance sheet
- ✓ROE 21.0% — efficient capital deployment
- ✓Interest coverage 11.6× — debt well covered
What's happening with ECL
Profile
Strong earnings quality and financial health; moat lags behind.
How is each axis scored?
- Valuation50/100 · Moderate
- P/E vs own history (39th pct)20/25
- FCF yield (2.3%)5/25
- P/S (4.8x)20/25
- EV/EBIT (31.5x)5/25
- Growth72/100 · Moderate
- Revenue CAGR (6.0%)12/25
- Net income CAGR (16.4%)20/25
- EPS CAGR 5Y (16.8%)20/25
- Fwd implied growth (25.1%)20/25
- Profitability72/100 · Moderate
- ROIC (11.9%)12/25
- ROE (21.0%)20/25
- Net margin (12.6%)20/25
- Operating margin (16.9%)20/25
- Financial Health80/100 · Strong
- Altman Z (3.74)25/25
- Current ratio (1.84)18/25
- Interest coverage (11.6x)25/25
- Net cash / debt (D/A 29%)12/25
- Quality87/100 · Strong
- Piotroski F (5/9)15/25
- Beneish M (-2.66)25/25
- FCF conversion (89%)22/25
- Margin stability (σ 2.6%)25/25
- Moat38/100 · Weak
- ROIC >12% years (2/10 yrs)0/25
- Median gross margin (41.5%)13/25
- FCF-positive years (10/10 yrs)25/25
- Worst-year net margin (worst -10.2%)0/25
About Ecolab, Inc.
Ecolab produces and markets cleaning and sanitation products for the industrial manufacturing, data center, hospitality, healthcare, and life sciences markets. Show more
The firm is the global market share leader in this category with a wide array of products and services, including dish and laundry washing systems, pest control, and infection control products. Additionally, Ecolab sells customized water management and cooling solutions across its end markets. The company has a strong hold on the US market and is growing its presence abroad.
Headquarters: SAINT PAUL, MN · Employees: 48,000 · Website ↗
Price History
Weekly Candlestick Chart — up to 5Y
Key Metrics
Financial snapshot · Tap any metric for its definition and grade
TTM Snapshot
trailing twelve months · YoYValuation
50CP/E (TTM)38.3xD
Grade D: ExpensivePrice / TTM EPS (own statements) — vs own 5Y history: 30.6x–62.1x · 39th pct
P/FCF43.5xC
Grade C: ExpensivePrice / Free Cash Flow per share (Finnhub). Inverse of FCF yield — negative when FCF is negative
FCF Yield2.3%C
Grade C: LowTTM (OCF − CapEx) / Market Cap — vs own 5Y history: 1.8%–3.8% · 42nd pct
P/S (TTM)4.81xB
Grade B: FairPrice / TTM Revenue (own statements) — vs own 5Y history: 2.7x–5.5x · 79th pct
EV/EBIT31.5xD
Grade D: ExpensiveEnterprise value / TTM EBIT (D&A not in our data) — capital-structure neutral — vs own 5Y history: 24.9x–46.8x · 36th pct
EV/Sales5.3xC
Grade C: ExpensiveEnterprise Value / TTM Revenue (Finnhub) — capital-structure neutral sales multiple
Forward P/E30.6xC
Grade C: ExpensivePrice / next-year EPS estimate — shows whether the TTM multiple is rich or just front-loading growth
P/B Ratio8.03xD
Grade D: Very expensivePrice to Book Value. Neg. equity = heavy buybacks
PEG Ratio2.71C
Grade C: ExpensiveFinnhub PEG — their P/E basis ÷ expected EPS growth. Suppressed when their P/E diverges >2× from our TTM P/E (different basis)
Dividend Yield0.98%A
Grade A: PaysTTM dividend yield (Finnhub) — annual dividends / price. None = no dividend; very high yield can signal distress
Payout Ratio37.7%A
Grade A: SafeDividends / Net Income (Finnhub) — share of earnings paid out; >90% or negative = unsustainable
Profitability
72B+ROIC11.9%C
Grade C: AverageNOPAT (EBIT less ~21% tax) / invested capital (equity + debt − cash). Flagship quality metric — durable >15% signals a moat
ROE21.0%A
Grade A: StrongReturn on Equity. Neg. equity = heavy buybacks
ROA8.2%C
Grade C: AverageReturn on Assets (Finnhub) — Net Income / Total Assets; how efficiently assets produce profit
Net Margin12.6%A
Grade A: HighNet Income / Revenue
Operating Margin16.9%C
Grade C: AverageTTM EBIT / TTM Revenue
Gross Margin44.1%C
Grade C: AverageGross Profit / Revenue
FCF Margin11.1%C
Grade C: AverageFCF / Revenue
True FCF Margin10.3%C
Grade C: AverageTTM (OCF − CapEx − SBC) / TTM Revenue — SBC treated as a real cost
Growth
72B+Revenue CAGR6.0%C
Grade C: OkCompound annual revenue growth (up to 5Y depending on data availability)
Net Income CAGR16.4%A
Grade A: HighCompound annual net income growth (up to 5Y depending on data availability)
EPS CAGR (5Y)16.8%A
Grade A: HighCompound annual EPS growth over up to 5Y of per-share earnings (own statements). Null when either endpoint EPS ≤ 0
Implied EPS Growth25.1%C
Grade C: MedAnalyst forward EPS (normalized basis) vs our GAAP TTM EPS — different bases, so extreme values usually mark cyclically depressed TTM earnings, not real growth
Dilution (5Y)-3.0%A
Grade A: BuybacksShare count change over 5Y
SBC / Net Income6.4%A
Grade A: LowStock-based comp/Net income. >30% = dilution risk
SBC / Revenue0.8%A
Grade A: LowTTM stock-based comp / TTM Revenue
Financial Health
80AAltman Z-Score3.74A
Grade A: SafeBankruptcy risk. >3 Safe, <1.8 Distress
Current Ratio1.84xC
Grade C: OkCurrent Assets/Liabilities
Quick Ratio1.54xA
Grade A: High(Current Assets − Inventory) / Current Liabilities (Finnhub) — stricter liquidity test, excludes inventory
Interest Coverage11.6xA
Grade A: StrongEBIT/Interest. >10 Strong
Debt Repayment4.7yC
Grade C: AverageYears to repay net debt via FCF
Net Debt/EBIT3.1xC
Grade C: MedLeverage. <2x Low, >4x High
Debt/Equity1.38xC
Grade C: MedDebt / Equity: <1 Conservative, >2 Risky. Not meaningful with non-positive equity; shown as unavailable rather than low debt.
Cash / Debt0.37xC
Grade C: PartialCash covers how much of total debt. >1 = could repay all debt from cash
Quality
87APiotroski F-Score5/9C
Grade C: AverageFinancial strength 0–9. >7 Strong
Beneish M-Score-2.66A
Grade A: SafeEarnings manipulation risk. < -2.22 Safe
FCF Conversion88.6%A
Grade A: StrongFCF / Net Income
Margin Stability2.6%A
Grade A: StableEBIT margin std deviation. Lower = stable
Capex / Revenue7.0%C
Grade C: AverageTTM CapEx / TTM Revenue — high % = capital-hungry business
Asset Turnover0.65xC
Grade C: AverageRevenue / Total Assets (Finnhub) — how efficiently the asset base generates sales
Insider Transactions
SEC Form 4 · 8 recordsP/S codes are the directional signal; grants, option exercises and tax withholding carry none. Form 4 doesn't flag 10b5-1 plans — scheduled sales may appear within open-market sells.
| Trade date | Insider | Transaction | Shares | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Doukeris Michel D Filed | Doukeris Michel D | Grant / award | +131 | |
Gross Marion K. Filed | Gross Marion K. | Grant / award | +131 | |
Althoff Judson Filed | Althoff Judson | Grant / award | +131 | |
Vautrinot Suzanne M Filed | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Grant / award | +131 | |
McKibben Tracy B Filed | McKibben Tracy B | Grant / award | +131 |
Show 3 more filingsShow fewer filings
| Trade date | Insider | Transaction | Shares | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
MacLennan David Filed | MacLennan David | Grant / award | +46 | |
MacLennan David Filed | MacLennan David | Grant / award | +131 | |
Green Eric Mark Filed | Green Eric Mark | Grant / award | +145 |
More metrics — Moat, Per Share, Balance Sheet, MarketHide additional metrics
Moat
38DROIC >12% Years2/10 yrsD
Grade D: WeakShare of completed fiscal years with ROIC > 12% — measures multi-year capital-return durability
Gross Margin (Med.)41.5%C
Grade C: ModerateMedian annual gross margin across available fiscal years — pricing-power durability
FCF-Positive Years10/10 yrsA
Grade A: DurableShare of completed fiscal years with positive free cash flow
Net Margin Floor-10.2%D
Grade D: WeakWeakest annual net margin across completed fiscal years — recession/downcycle resilience
Per Share
EPS (TTM)$7.55
Own TTM net income / shares — same earnings basis as P/E
Cash / Share$18.32
Cash & short-term investments per share (Finnhub)
Book Value / Share$35.87
Shareholders' equity per share (Finnhub). Negative = accumulated losses / heavy buybacks
Balance Sheet
Total Debt$13.92B
Total debt obligations (short + long term)
Cash & Equiv.$5.14B
Cash and short-term investments
Net Debt$8.78B
Total Debt minus Cash. Negative = Net Cash position
Total Equity$10.08B
Shareholders' equity (book value)
Asset / Liability1.51xC
Grade C: AdequateTotal Assets / Total Liabilities
Market
Market Cap$80.98B
Current Market Capitalization
Beta0.88B
Grade B: MarketPrice sensitivity vs the market (Finnhub) — 1.0 moves with market, >1.2 amplifies swings
How grades work: each metric is graded A–D against fixed thresholds (tap a row for the meaning). Card grades map the pillar score to A+–E — a card grade is that pillar's own score, not an average of the rows shown.
Financials as of Jun 2026 · Ratio snapshot Oct 17, 2026
Key Insights: Ecolab, Inc. (ECL)
ECL is down 0.66% at the last close. Piotroski F-Score of 5/9 indicates mixed fundamentals for Ecolab, Inc.. Altman Z-Score of 3.74 sits comfortably in the safe zone (≥ 2.99), indicating low bankruptcy risk. Beneish M-Score of -2.66 suggests a low likelihood of earnings manipulation.
- Takes ~4.7 years to repay net debt from free cash flow.
- Ecolab, Inc. posted a net loss in 1 of 10 available completed fiscal years (2016–2025).
- Return on equity of 21.0% is well above the market average.
See how ECL ranks on the Capex Tracker — top 50 capital spenders compared.
Recent Market Moves
See all ECL moves →| Date | Session | Price | Move | Z-Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | Regular | 280.42 | +1.83% | 2.13 |
| Sep 22 | Regular | 277.00 | +2.60% | 3.40 |
| Sep 22 | After-hours | 276.22 | +2.31% | 3.06 |
Frequently Asked Questions about ECL
What is the current Ecolab, Inc. (ECL) stock price?
ECL is trading at $288.89 at the last market close, down 0.66% on the session. PreMarketPrice tracks ECL pre-market, intraday and after-hours prices.
Is ECL stock a buy right now?
PreMarketPrice's quantitative model rates Ecolab, Inc.'s financial health at 80/100. This is a data-driven snapshot of fundamentals, not investment advice.
Is ECL stock overvalued?
Ecolab, Inc. trades at a trailing P/E of 38.3 and our valuation score rates it 50/100 (higher = cheaper vs. its own history). See the Valuation History and Key Metrics sections for forward P/E, EV/EBITDA and PEG context.
When does Ecolab, Inc. report earnings?
No confirmed earnings date is currently scheduled for ECL. The Earnings section lists recent reports and updates as dates are announced.
What sector does Ecolab, Inc. operate in?
Ecolab, Inc. operates in the Consumer Defensive sector, within the Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics industry. The Related Stocks section lists sector peers for comparison.
What does Ecolab, Inc. do?
Ecolab produces and markets cleaning and sanitation products for the industrial manufacturing, data center, hospitality, healthcare, and life sciences markets.
About Ecolab, Inc. (ECL) Stock
Ecolab, Inc. (ECL) is a US-listed stock operating in the Consumer Defensive sector, specifically the Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics industry. As of the latest update, Ecolab, Inc. is trading at $288.89, down 0.66% on the day with a market capitalization of $81.0 billion. The financial health score for ECL is 80/100, which indicates excellent financial strength based on profitability, leverage, liquidity, and growth metrics. This page provides real-time pre-market pricing, earnings calendar, financial health analysis, and valuation metrics for ECL stock.
ECL Stock Analysis & Key Metrics
On PreMarketPrice, you can track Ecolab, Inc. (ECL) across multiple dimensions:
- Pre-market price & movement: Real-time ECL stock price with percentage change, updated continuously during pre-market and regular trading hours.
- Valuation & P/E history: Historical P/E, P/S, and P/B ratios for ECL with trend analysis and normalized valuation multiples.
- Financial statements: Revenue, net income, assets, liabilities, and equity for Ecolab, Inc. across multiple reporting periods.
- Financial health score: A composite score of 80/100 based on Altman Z-Score, Piotroski F-Score, profitability, and leverage metrics for ECL.
- Sector peers: Compare ECL against 6 other consumer defensive stocks on key financial metrics.
Is ECL a Good Stock to Buy?
This page provides data-driven analysis to help you evaluate Ecolab, Inc. (ECL) as an investment. The financial health score of 80/100 suggests excellent financial fundamentals. Valuation metrics show whether the stock is trading above or below its historical average.However, this is not financial advice — always do your own research before investing.
Data on this page is sourced from real-time market feeds, Polygon.io, and Finnhub.Ecolab, Inc. (ECL) trades on NYSE/NASDAQ. Pre-market trading occurs 4:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET. Regular market hours are 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET.