--- title: Ecolab (ECL) — intrinsic value and fair price canonical: https://sweetvaluelab.com/stocks/ecl ticker: ECL as_of: 2026-10-17 sector: Basic Materials industry: Chemicals - Specialty --- # Ecolab (ECL) Ecolab (ECL) closed at $288.89 on Oct 16, 2026, overvalued by 90% vs its model value of $151.67 (from a five-year discounted cash flow). ## Key figures | Figure | Value | | --- | ---: | | Last close | $288.89 (Oct 16, 2026) | | Model value (from a five-year discounted cash flow) | $151.67 | | Price vs model | overvalued by 90% vs model | | Range of that model | $92.76 – $353.39 | | Market value | $81.0B | | P/E (fiscal 2025) | 39.7 | | Net margin (fiscal 2025) | 12.9% | | Free cash flow (fiscal 2025) | $1.9B | | Dividend yield (trailing twelve months) | 1.01% | | Beta | 0.88 | | Cost of capital (WACC) | 8.46% | | Business classification | Mature & Stable (Low/slowing growth (~2% recent), Moderate margins (13% net margin), Highly cyclical earnings) | ## On the stock lists | List | Place | Figure | Page | | --- | ---: | ---: | --- | | Insider buying | #17 | $1.0M | https://sweetvaluelab.com/lists/insider-buying | | Dividend growth streaks | #31 | 38 years | https://sweetvaluelab.com/lists/dividend-growth-streaks | ## Dividends | Figure | Value | | --- | ---: | | Trailing dividend yield | 1.01% | | Dividends per share, last 12 months | $2.92 | | Dividends / free cash flow (fiscal 2025) | 39.6% | | Raised | 38 years in a row | | Growth over 5 years | 8.7% a year | | Latest payment | $0.73, ex-date Sep 15, 2026, paid Oct 15, 2026 | | Year of payments | Dividends per share | | --- | ---: | | To Sep 13, 2021 | $1.92 | | To Sep 19, 2022 | $2.04 | | To Sep 18, 2023 | $2.12 | | To Sep 17, 2024 | $2.28 | | To Sep 16, 2025 | $2.60 | | Trailing twelve months (to Sep 15, 2026) | $2.92 | ## Valuation models Each model's value per share and the role the engine gave it for this business. The headline above is one model's value; every other model is listed with its own, and each has a page of its own under the valuation. Computed Oct 17, 2026. | Model | Role | Value per share | Low | High | | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | | DCF · Perpetuity growth · 5y | primary | $151.67 | $92.76 | $353.39 | | DCF · Perpetuity growth · 10y | cross check | $166.24 | $105.13 | $372.21 | | DCF · EBITDA exit · 5y | cross check | $190.86 | $127.31 | $265.74 | | DCF · EBITDA exit · 10y | cross check | $199.25 | $131.79 | $289.35 | | P/E · peers | cross check | $266.31 | $181.00 | $329.37 | | P/E · own history | cross check | $319.23 | $285.85 | $364.23 | | PEG | sanity check | $119.55 | $119.55 | $119.55 | | EV/EBITDA · peers | cross check | $196.48 | $108.22 | $269.84 | | EV/Revenue · peers | cross check | $185.65 | $87.95 | $293.80 | | Earnings power value | cross check | $42.99 | $32.51 | $58.00 | | Dividend discount | cross check | $65.58 | $44.71 | $109.19 | ## Insider activity (SEC Form 4) Past 90 days: 2 open-market buys ($1.0M) and 3 open-market sales ($7.2M); 10b5-1 plan sales included. | Date | Insider | Relationship | Transaction | Shares | Value | | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | | Sep 30, 2026 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Director | Grant / award | 131.17 | $0 | | Sep 30, 2026 | Whalen Julie | Director | Grant / award | 131.17 | $0 | | Sep 30, 2026 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Director | Grant / award | 131.17 | $0 | | Sep 30, 2026 | NOWELL LIONEL L III | Director | Grant / award | 131.17 | $0 | | Sep 30, 2026 | McKibben Tracy B | Director | Grant / award | 131.17 | $0 | ## Recent SEC filings | Filed | Form | What | Filing | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Aug 6, 2026 | 10-Q | Quarterly report | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/31462/000162828026053886/ecl-20260630.htm | | Jul 28, 2026 | 8-K | 2.02 Results of Operations (Earnings); 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/31462/000162828026049933/ecl-20260728.htm | | May 29, 2026 | 8-K | 8.01 Other Events; 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/31462/000110465926068276/tm2615907d1_8k.htm | | May 20, 2026 | 424B5 | Prospectus supplement | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/31462/000110465926064583/tm2613881-2_424b5.htm | | May 19, 2026 | 424B5 | Prospectus supplement | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/31462/000110465926063558/tm2613881-1_424b5.htm | ## Superinvestors holding it (latest 13F) | Manager | Quarter | Shares | Value | | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | | Gates | 2026-06-30 | 5,218,044 | $1.5B | | Mairs & Power | 2026-06-30 | 777,541 | $216.6M | | Thomas Gayner | 2026-06-30 | 274,300 | $76.4M | | Jensen | 2026-06-30 | 58,436 | $16.3M | 4 tracked managers in all. ## About 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-serv… --- Source: https://sweetvaluelab.com/stocks/ecl (SweetValueLab, free, no account). Prices and statements from Financial Modeling Prep; filings from SEC EDGAR. Research and educational data, not investment advice; nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security.