Ecolab (ECL) Stock Price, Fundamentals & Analysis

What ECL does

Ecolab (ECL) is a US stock in the Basic Materials sector, specifically the Specialty Chemicals industry, headquartered in Saint Paul, United States. The company provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services across the United States and internationally. Ecolab operates through four segments: Global Water, Global Institutional & Specialty, Global Pest Elimination, and Global Life Sciences. Its customers include manufacturers, food and beverage processors, transportation, chemical, primary metals and mining, power generation, global refining, petrochemical, pulp and paper industries, as well as foodservice, healthcare, hospitality, lodging, government, education, retail, and other commercial segments.

Key numbers explained

• 276,72 USD is the current share price, the amount you would pay to buy one share at this moment.
• The trailing P/E ratio of 36,3 tells you how much investors are willing to pay per dollar of the company's last 12 months of earnings; a higher number often reflects expectations of future growth.
• The forward P/E ratio of 29,4 uses expected future earnings, giving a sense of valuation relative to what analysts anticipate.
• Dividend yield of 1,06% represents the annual dividend payment as a percentage of the current share price, a measure of income return for shareholders.
• Beta of 0,89 indicates the stock's volatility relative to the overall market; a value below 1 suggests it has historically moved less than the market.
• Return on equity of 22% shows how effectively the company generates profit from shareholders' equity.
• Debt-to-equity ratio of 138% means the company has 1,38 dollars of debt for every dollar of equity, a measure of financial leverage.
• Price-to-book of 7,71 compares the market price to the company's book value per share, reflecting how the market values its net assets.

Recent news

Recent headlines include a market forecast for the Global Sanitizer Aerosol Spray Market, which profiles Ecolab among other major players and projects growth toward USD 4,12 billion. Another headline notes that Ecolab has scheduled a webcast and conference call on 27 oct. 2026. A third headline highlights Ecolab as a Pick of the Week at Smart Insider following a director share purchase.

What to watch

As a company in the Specialty Chemicals sector, Ecolab's performance can be influenced by industrial production cycles, regulatory changes related to water and hygiene, and global economic conditions. Investors often compare it with peers such as Dow Inc. (DOW), Linde plc (LIN), and Avery Dennison (AVY). The company is part of the S&P 500, which means it is a large-cap stock with significant market presence. Broader trends in manufacturing, food and beverage processing, and healthcare can also affect its business.