Ecolab Inc. (ECL) Stock

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) is a Consumer Discretionary stock trading at $270.25 (as of 2026-07-15), with a market capitalization of $76.05B and a trailing P/E of 36.1. Figures are sourced from first-party U.S. SEC EDGAR filings and market data.

Ecolab Inc. provides water treatment and cleaning, sanitizing, and infection-prevention solutions and services for industrial, foodservice and hospitality, and healthcare-related customers in the U.S. and internationally. It operates through Global Industrial, Global Institutional & Specialty, and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences segments, with other activities that include pest elimination.

Understand Ecolab Inc.: how it makes money

Ecolab provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services, making money by selling and delivering these offerings across industrial, institutional, healthcare, and pest elimination end markets.

Profit generation is structurally tied to the mix of segment sales across four end-market platforms, with Global Industrial the largest contributor to total segment sales.

Revenue by segment (latest quarter)
Global Industrial$2.0B
Global Institutional & Specialty$1.4B
Global Healthcare & Life Sciences$0.4B
Global Pest Elimination$0.3B

Business quality (Mixed): Clear multi-segment operating structure, investors can track segment sales as the main operating driver, main risk is that segment demand and mix can shift over time.

Valuation: At 36× earnings, ECL trades 36% above the Consumer Goods average (26×). Note: one-time items can distort reported P/E.

Bull case

  • Scale and diversification across end markets: Segment sales are spread across Global Industrial (1.96B), Global Institutional & Specialty (1.37B), Global Healthcare & Life Sciences (0.4B), and Global Pest Elimination (0.3B).
  • Large industrial platform is the anchor: Global Industrial segment sales are the largest operating metric contributor among the disclosed segments (1.96B).

Bear case

  • Segment demand and mix risk: If customers in any segment reduce spend or shift needs, that can pressure the corresponding segment sales.
  • Reported results can be affected by currency translation: The reporting framework includes fixed currency segment sales comparisons, indicating currency effects can influence reported numbers.
Valuation — source: SEC EDGAR (first-party)
Price$270.25
Market Cap$76.05B
P/E Ratio36.1
EV / EBITDA22.1
Price / Book7.58
Price / Sales4.62
FCF Yield2.5%
DCF Value (model)$144.05
DCF Upside vs Price-46.7%
Profitability & Growth — source: SEC EDGAR
Revenue (TTM)$16.08B
Net Margin12.9%
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.0%
EPS Growth (YoY)7.7%
FCF Growth (YoY)-25.9%
Financial Health — source: SEC EDGAR
Altman Z-Score4.84 (safe)
Piotroski F-Score5/9 (moderate)
Valuation vs Sector & Industry
Stock P/E36.1
Sector P/E (Consumer Discretionary)21.6
Industry P/E (Consumer Goods)27.1
vs Sector67.5%
vs Industry33.5%
Smart-Money Activity — SEC Form 4 / 13F / Congressional disclosures
Top Institutional HolderVANGUARD GROUP INC ($6.65B)
Institutional Holders Tracked10
Congressional Trades (recent)10
Company
SectorConsumer Discretionary
IndustryConsumer Goods
CEOChristophe Beck
Employees48,000
CountryUS
IPO Date1957-01-01

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ECL earnings history · ECL institutional & insider holders · ECL KPIs & operating metrics · Congress trades · Insider trades · Short interest · Stock screener

Data as of 2026-07-15.

Figures sourced from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC EDGAR) filings and market data. Not personalized investment advice.