Water, hygiene, and infection prevention company serving hospitality, healthcare, industrial, and foodservice customers.MoreShow less
Profile & Fundamentals
Ecolab (ECL.NYSE) Profile & Fundamentals
Review Ecolab reported earnings, valuation, balance sheet and ownership, with source tables and separate AI assessments.
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Company and Market Context
Ecolab: Company Profile & Ownership
Ecolab Inc. provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Global Water, Global Institutional & Specialty, Global Pest Elimination, and Global Life Sciences. The Global Water segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, primary metals and mining, power generation, global refining, petrochemical, pulp and paper industries. The Global Institutional & Specialty segment provides cleaning and sanitizing products to the foodservice, healthcare, hospitality, lodging, government, education and retail industries. The Global Pest Elimination segment provides pest elimination services to detect, prevent, and eliminate pests comprising rodents and insects in full-service and quick-service restaurants, food and beverage processors, hotels, grocery operations, and other commercial segments, including education, life sciences, and healthcare. The Global Life Sciences segment provides cleaning and contamination control solutions to pharmaceutical and personal care manufacturers. It offers its products under the Ecolab, Kay, Purolite, and Bioquell brand names. The company sells its products through field sales and corporate account personnel, distributors, and dealers. Ecolab Inc. was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Company profile record
Ecolab Inc
Common Stock · Materials · Specialty Chemicals
Company
- Company / asset
- Ecolab Inc
- Security type
- Common Stock
- Sector
- Materials
- Industry
- Specialty Chemicals
- HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Head office
- 1 Ecolab Place, Saint Paul, MN, United States, 55102-2233
Leadership & scale
- Chief executive
- Mr. Christophe Beck
- CEO year born
- 1968
- Full-time employees
- 48K
- Fiscal year end
- December
- IPO date
- 1988-01-05
Fundamentals snapshot
- Market Cap
- USD 86.3B
- P/E
- 41.5x
- Revenue (Q3 26)
- USD 4.7B
- Profit (Q3 26)
- USD 551.3M
- Dividend Yield
- 0.7%
- Revenue (FY 25)
- USD 16.1B
- Shares in public float
- 279.9M
- Insider ownership
- 0.16%
Reporting & identifiers
- Symbol
- ECL.NYSE
- Listing
- 🇺🇸 United States | Dividend Tax: 30%
- Ticker Currency
- USD
- Income Statement Currency
- USD
- Balance Sheet Currency
- USD
- Cash Flow Currency
- USD
- EPS Currency
- USD
- Contract Type
- SPOT
- ISIN
- US2788651006
- Asset ID
- equity_7e48cabb-84f7-5887-a4f5-4bf0071d6671
Ecolab: Ownership
Shares Outstanding
Latest: 282.1M | Max: 293.6M | Min: 282.1M
Latest reported ownership snapshot
Float Shares
99.21%
279.9M latest reported shares
Insider Ownership
0.16%
Latest reported insider stake
Short Float
0.02%
Latest reported short interest / float
Top Holders
Source tablesView ownership tables
Shares Outstanding
Annual reported shares outstanding; up to 10 reporting dates.
Scroll the table to see every column.
| Reporting date | Shares outstanding |
|---|---|
| 2017-01-01 | 293,600,000 |
| 2018-01-01 | 292,200,000 |
| 2019-01-01 | 292,600,000 |
| 2020-01-01 | 288,700,000 |
| 2021-01-01 | 289,500,000 |
| 2022-01-01 | 285,800,000 |
| 2023-01-01 | 287,100,000 |
| 2024-01-01 | 285,700,000 |
| 2025-01-01 | 284,200,000 |
| 2026-01-01 | 282,100,000 |
Top Holders
Available reported ownership records.
Scroll the table to see every column.
| Holder | Shares | Ownership | Reported date |
|---|---|---|---|
| BlackRock Inc | 23,051,363 | 8.22% | 2026-06-30 |
| Vanguard Capital Management, LLC | 16,537,270 | 5.9% | 2026-06-30 |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co | 14,619,468 | 5.21% | 2026-06-30 |
| State Street Corp | 11,770,714 | 4.2% | 2026-06-30 |
| Vanguard MStar Total Stk Mkt Idx Invest | 7,999,845 | 2.85% | 2026-09-30 |
| Morgan Stanley - Brokerage Accounts | 7,827,291 | 2.79% | 2026-06-30 |
| Vanguard 500 Index Investor | 6,626,016 | 2.36% | 2026-09-30 |
| Vanguard Portfolio Management, LLC | 6,300,975 | 2.25% | 2026-06-30 |
| Geode Capital Management, LLC | 5,996,032 | 2.14% | 2026-06-30 |
| Gates Bill & Melinda Foundation | 5,218,044 | 1.86% | 2026-06-30 |
| UBS Asset Mgmt Americas Inc | 3,617,425 | 1.29% | 2026-06-30 |
| Royal Bank of Canada | 3,611,647 | 1.29% | 2026-06-30 |
| Aristotle Capital Management LLC | 3,516,811 | 1.25% | 2026-06-30 |
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | 3,364,211 | 1.2% | 2026-10-30 |
| NORGES BANK | 3,350,825 | 1.19% | 2026-06-30 |
Ecolab: Earnings, Profitability & Valuation
Latest Financials Filed On
Earnings & Revenue
Earnings and Revenue Trajectory
AI Review
Ecolab's financial results show healthy top-line momentum, with recent quarterly sales expanding nearly ten percent to $4.42 billion and organic growth running at five percent. This expansion is powered by four-percent price increases and rapid growth in high-tech cooling for data centers and chipmakers. However, reported net income grew just two percent, revealing that recent performance has been restrained by acquisition financing expenses and accounting amortization charges. Beneath headline figures, underlying cash flow remains dependable, generating $1.87 billion in trailing free cash flow. While the core cleaning and water business delivers steady cash, growth has become increasingly dependent on price surcharges rather than physical volume expansion. To sustain profit growth, the company must convert new equipment placements into long-term service contracts.
Ecolab's financial results show healthy top-line momentum, with recent quarterly sales expanding nearly ten percent to $4.42 billion and organic growth running at five percent. This expansion is powered by four-percent price increases and rapid growth in high-tech cooling for data centers and chipmakers. However, reported net income grew just two percent, revealing that recent performance has been restrained by acquisition financing expenses and accounting amortization charges. Beneath headline figures, underlying cash flow remains dependable, generating $1.87 billion in trailing free cash flow. While the core cleaning and water business delivers steady cash, growth has become increasingly dependent on price surcharges rather than physical volume expansion. To sustain profit growth, the company must convert new equipment placements into long-term service contracts.
Revenue, Net Income, and Free Cash Flow
Latest: USD 16.1B | Max: USD 16.1B | Min: USD -1.2B
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)iPublished valuation snapshots use the earnings basis recorded with each observation. Source tables retain that basis.
Latest: 36x
Profitability & Margins
Margins and Operating Efficiency
AI Review
Profitability margins have experienced a major multi-year recovery, with operating margins expanding from 11.3% in 2022 to over 18% in recent quarters. This widening reflects successful value-based pricing surcharges, digital route efficiencies, and the ongoing One Ecolab cost-cutting program. These operational improvements demonstrate genuine pricing power, as customers pay for avoided downtime and water savings. However, reaching management's twenty-percent operating margin target will encounter near-term resistance. Acquired hardware platforms carry lower gross margins than traditional specialty chemicals, creating slight margin dilution. Additionally, stubbornly high crude oil prices continue to inflate raw chemical feedstocks, meaning future profitability gains must come from internal productivity rather than endless customer price increases.
Profitability margins have experienced a major multi-year recovery, with operating margins expanding from 11.3% in 2022 to over 18% in recent quarters. This widening reflects successful value-based pricing surcharges, digital route efficiencies, and the ongoing One Ecolab cost-cutting program. These operational improvements demonstrate genuine pricing power, as customers pay for avoided downtime and water savings. However, reaching management's twenty-percent operating margin target will encounter near-term resistance. Acquired hardware platforms carry lower gross margins than traditional specialty chemicals, creating slight margin dilution. Additionally, stubbornly high crude oil prices continue to inflate raw chemical feedstocks, meaning future profitability gains must come from internal productivity rather than endless customer price increases.
Profitability Margins
Latest: 44.5% | Max: 47.9% | Min: -10.2%
Latest Profitability Ratios as of 2025-12-31
Gross Margin
44.5%
Gross profit / revenue
Operating Margin
18.1%
Operating income / revenue
Net Margin
12.9%
Net income / revenue
FCF Margin
11.8%
Free cash flow / revenue
Source tablesView earnings, profitability & valuation tables
Revenue, Net Income, and Free Cash Flow
Annual reported results, using the source statement's recorded USD conversion. Up to 10 reporting periods; missing values are not estimated.
Scroll the table to see every column.
| Period end | Revenue (USD) | Net income (USD) | Free cash flow (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-12-31 | 13,152,800,000 | 1,229,600,000 | 1,182,900,000 |
| 2017-12-31 | 13,835,900,000 | 1,504,600,000 | 1,222,700,000 |
| 2018-12-31 | 14,668,200,000 | 1,429,100,000 | 1,430,600,000 |
| 2019-12-31 | 12,562,000,000 | 1,558,900,000 | 1,689,400,000 |
| 2020-12-31 | 11,790,200,000 | -1,205,100,000 | 1,371,200,000 |
| 2021-12-31 | 12,733,100,000 | 1,129,900,000 | 1,418,900,000 |
| 2022-12-31 | 14,187,800,000 | 1,091,700,000 | 1,075,600,000 |
| 2023-12-31 | 15,320,200,000 | 1,372,300,000 | 1,637,000,000 |
| 2024-12-31 | 15,741,400,000 | 2,112,400,000 | 1,819,400,000 |
| 2025-12-31 | 16,081,200,000 | 2,075,600,000 | 1,904,300,000 |
Published P/E Ratio
Published valuation snapshots retain each observation's earnings basis.
Scroll the table to see every column.
| Period end | P/E (times earnings) | Earnings basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-31 | 35.9 | Trailing four quarters |
| 2024-12-31 | 31.7 | Trailing four quarters |
| 2023-12-31 | 41.5 | Trailing four quarters |
| 2022-12-31 | 38.1 | Annual net income |
| 2021-12-31 | 60.1 | Annual net income |
Profitability Margins
Matching annual reporting dates. Values are percentages.
Scroll the table to see every column.
| Period end | Gross margin (%) | Operating margin (%) | Net margin (%) | Free cash flow margin (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-12-31 | 47.92 | 15.26 | 9.35 | 8.99 |
| 2017-12-31 | 42.13 | 15.9 | 10.87 | 8.84 |
| 2018-12-31 | 41.31 | 13.51 | 9.74 | 9.75 |
| 2019-12-31 | 44.01 | 15.19 | 12.41 | 13.45 |
| 2020-12-31 | 41.54 | 14.5 | -10.22 | 11.63 |
| 2021-12-31 | 41.01 | 13.23 | 8.87 | 11.14 |
| 2022-12-31 | 38.2 | 11.34 | 7.69 | 7.58 |
| 2023-12-31 | 40.32 | 14.1 | 8.96 | 10.69 |
| 2024-12-31 | 43.47 | 16.6 | 13.42 | 11.56 |
| 2025-12-31 | 44.51 | 18.11 | 12.91 | 11.84 |
Public data excerpt created by iPulse AI and published by Future Edge Group FZE. Snapshot retrieved 2026-11-10.
Use is subject to the iPulse AI Terms of Service and applicable source rights. Missing inputs are not estimated. Full access includes the remaining records, research and interactive tools.
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