Ecolab (ECL) reported $4.69 billion in revenue for the quarter ended September 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 12.7%. EPS of $2.18 for the same period compares to $2.07 a year ago.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of +0.49% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.67 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $2.18, the company has not delivered EPS surprise.
While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.
As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.
Here is how Ecolab performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Net Sales- Fixed Currency Rates- Global Pest Elimination: $363.5 million versus $359.87 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +12.7% change. Net Sales- Fixed Currency Rates- Global Water: $2.48 billion versus $2.5 billion estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +26.9% change. Net Sales- Fixed Currency Rates- Global Life Sciences: $215.8 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $211.13 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +26.2%. Net Sales- Fixed Currency Rates- Global Institutional & Specialty: $1.64 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $1.68 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +6.1%. Net Sales- Public Currency Rates- Global Life Sciences: $213.9 million versus $211.2 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +15.8% change. Net Sales- Public Currency Rates- Global Pest Elimination: $363.6 million compared to the $366.55 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +9.6% year over year. Net Sales- Public Currency Rates- Global Institutional & Specialty: $1.64 billion compared to the $1.67 billion average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +2.7% year over year. Net Sales- Public Currency Rates- Global Water: $2.48 billion versus the two-analyst average estimate of $2.44 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +20.7%. Operating Income (loss)- Fixed Currency Rates- Global Life Sciences: $50.2 million compared to the $39.9 million average estimate based on three analysts. Operating Income (loss)- Fixed Currency Rates- Global Pest Elimination: $73.9 million compared to the $78.45 million average estimate based on three analysts. Operating Income (loss)- Fixed Currency Rates- Global Institutional & Specialty: $404.9 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $417.2 million. Operating Income (loss)- Fixed Currency Rates- Corporate: $-161.9 million compared to the $-79.84 million average estimate based on three analysts.View all Key Company Metrics for Ecolab here>>>
Shares of Ecolab have returned +3.1% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -0.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).