# Ecolab Inc. (ECL) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NYSE, United States. Sector: Basic Materials / Chemicals. Price $279.28, market value $78.3 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 37.4×** (5-yr avg 40.3×, 3-yr avg 35.8×). Ecolab Inc. trades at 37.4× trailing earnings, close to its own five-year average of 40.3×. The Basic Materials median in the September 2026 study was 19.0×. Forward P/E is 29.7×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 4.6×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 4.6×.
- **Price / book: 7.8×**. The shares trade at 7.8× book value; most of the value is in earnings power and intangibles rather than the balance sheet.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 2.4%** (5-yr avg 2.6%). Free cash flow equals 2.4% of the market value, in line with its five-year average of 2.6%.
- **Earnings yield: 2.7%**. The inverse of the P/E: 2.7% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 16.9%**. 16.9% of revenue is left after running the business, a healthy level in most sectors.
- **Net margin: 12.9%**. 12.9% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 21.2%**. 21.2% on shareholders' equity is excellent if it is not driven by leverage; sustained above 20% usually signals a competitive advantage.
- **Return on invested capital: 22.5%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 22.5%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 8.6%**. Each dollar of assets produces 8.6% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 2.2%** (3-yr 4.3%/yr, 5-yr 6.4%/yr). Revenue grew 2.2% over the last year, against 6.4% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -1.2%** (3-yr 24.1%/yr). Earnings per share fell 1.2%, roughly in step with revenue.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 21.0%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 21.0% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.09**. Debt is 0.09 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Altman Z-score: 4.73**. A Z-score of 4.73 places the company in the safe zone for bankruptcy risk.
- **Piotroski F-score: 4/9**. 4 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 1.05%** ($2.84 per share, trailing). Ecolab Inc. yields 1.05%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 36%** (43% of free cash flow). 36% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 23**. 23 straight years of increases, a record that survived at least one recession.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 7.2%/yr** (1-yr 13.6%). The dividend has grown 7.2% a year over five years.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: buy** (21 analysts). 21 analysts cover Ecolab Inc.; the consensus is buy, with an average price target of $324.95 (+16% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 2.7%** (YTD 7.0%, 3-mo 8.6%). The shares are up 2.7% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -9.7%** (14.9% above the low). Trading 10% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 47**. An RSI of 47 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.50** (volatility 22%). Beta of 0.50 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=ECL · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/ecl

Not investment advice.