ECOLAB INC.
ECL · Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics · 281.4M shares · -1%/yr ↓ buyback · EDGAR filings ↗
Net buyback after stock comp: -$81M (gross $14M, SBC $95M)
Reference price $263.83 · est. market cap ~$74.3B — last insider purchase, 2026-06-11 (estimated from the dated SEC Form 4 price × shares outstanding — not a live quote)
Grade
A86Dominant global water/hygiene franchise with durable pricing power, top-decile returns and cash generation, and record results.
Strengths
- Top-decile ROA (86.6th pct) and FCF ($1.9B, 94.6th pct), with ROE 21.2% (78.6th) and operating margin 17% (83.3rd)
- Wide moat from 'circle the customer' switching costs, value pricing, and A-range credit; organic operating income +13%
Risks
- Mid-pack quick/current ratio (27th–28th pct) and integration of the $1.6B Ovivo Electronics acquisition
- Environmental remediation/CERCLA and product-liability litigation exposure
Notable findings
- Exec changeRecent 8-K item 5.02 8-K ↗
- Customer concentration~44% of revenue from one customer/distributor — Gross Margin Our reported gross margin was 44
- Strong balance sheetStrong balance sheet — $646M cash & investments
- Insider buyingInsider buying — 4 open-market buy(s) by 3 insider(s) (cluster of 3 insiders, ~$3M, last 6mo) Form 4 ↗
- Insider sellingInsider selling — 9 open-market sale(s) by 8 insider(s) (cluster of 8 insiders, ~$14M, last 6mo) Form 4 ↗
Quarterly revenue
Last 4 quarters · from SEC filings.
Key metrics
Gross margin
44.5%
Operating margin
17.0%
Net margin
12.9%
Return on equity
21.2%
Return on assets
8.4%
ROIC
20.3%
Revenue growth (QoQ)
-3.1%
Net-income growth
-1.7%
Debt / equity
0.1×
Interest coverage
8.9×
Current ratio
1.1×
Free cash flow
$1.9B
Tangible book value
-$3.1B
Cash & investments
$646M
Stock comp / revenue
0.8%
Insider transactions · last 18 months
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-11 | Clark Benjamin M. | Buy | 1.0K | $263.83 |
| 2026-06-10 | Doukeris Michel D | Buy | 7.8K | $258.00 |
| 2026-06-09 | Brown Darrell R | Sell | 10K | $260.89 |
| 2026-06-09 | Brown Darrell R | Option exercise | 10K | $117.73 |
| 2026-05-27 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Sell | 1.0K | $264.98 |
| 2026-05-22 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Option exercise | 2.0K | $125.67 |
| 2026-05-22 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Tax withheld | 996 | $252.27 |
| 2026-05-13 | MacLennan David | Buy | 1.0K | $250.65 |
| 2026-05-04 | MacLennan David | Buy | 800 | $256.91 |
| 2026-05-04 | Cook Gregory B | Tax withheld | 3.8K | $257.93 |
| 2026-05-04 | Cook Gregory B | Option exercise | 8.4K | — |
| 2026-03-31 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 138 | $263.03 |
| 2026-03-31 | Whalen Julie | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | REICH VICTORIA | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | LARSON MICHAEL | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | NOWELL LIONEL L III | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | Doukeris Michel D | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | Gross Marion K. | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | Althoff Judson | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | McKibben Tracy B | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | MacLennan David | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | MacLennan David | Grant | 49 | $263.03 |
| 2026-03-31 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-31 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 152 | $263.03 |
| 2026-03-31 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 138 | — |
| 2026-03-27 | LARSON MICHAEL | Option exercise | 2.3K | $115.08 |
| 2026-03-27 | LARSON MICHAEL | Tax withheld | 1.0K | $262.88 |
| 2026-02-26 | Cook Gregory B | Option exercise | 3.8K | $137.09 |
| 2026-02-26 | Cook Gregory B | Sell | 3.5K | $304.25 |
| 2026-02-25 | McKibben Tracy B | Option exercise | 2.3K | $115.08 |
| 2026-02-25 | King Margeaux | Option exercise | 1.7K | — |
| 2026-02-25 | King Margeaux | Tax withheld | 527 | $306.04 |
| 2026-02-25 | McKibben Tracy B | Sell | 1.3K | $308.66 |
| 2026-02-24 | Beck Christophe | Sell | 18K | $307.32 |
| 2026-02-24 | Kirkland Scott D | Gift | 404 | — |
| 2026-02-24 | Beck Christophe | Option exercise | 24K | $117.73 |
| 2026-02-24 | Beck Christophe | Sell | 1.9K | $307.87 |
| 2026-02-18 | Beck Christophe | Grant | 25K | — |
| 2026-02-18 | Hlila Alexandra M A | Grant | 508 | — |
| 2026-02-18 | Hlila Alexandra M A | Tax withheld | 215 | $303.15 |
| 2026-02-18 | Boone Jandeen M | Grant | 593 | — |
| 2026-02-18 | Boone Jandeen M | Tax withheld | 201 | $303.15 |
| 2026-02-18 | Cook Gregory B | Grant | 3.4K | — |
| 2026-02-18 | Cook Gregory B | Tax withheld | 1.1K | $303.15 |
| 2026-02-18 | Alfano Nicholas J. | Grant | 2.2K | — |
| 2026-02-18 | Alfano Nicholas J. | Tax withheld | 975 | $303.15 |
| 2026-02-18 | Bradway Jennifer J | Grant | 1.9K | — |
| 2026-02-18 | Bradway Jennifer J | Tax withheld | 596 | $303.15 |
| 2026-02-18 | De Boo Alexander A. | Grant | 2.4K | — |
| 2026-02-18 | De Boo Alexander A. | Tax withheld | 126 | $303.15 |
| 2026-02-18 | Kirkland Scott D | Grant | 9.7K | — |
| 2026-02-18 | Kirkland Scott D | Tax withheld | 4.0K | $303.15 |
| 2026-02-18 | Brown Darrell R | Grant | 8.5K | — |
| 2026-02-18 | Brown Darrell R | Tax withheld | 3.3K | $303.15 |
| 2026-02-18 | Beck Christophe | Tax withheld | 11K | $303.15 |
| 2026-02-17 | Alfano Nicholas J. | Sell | 9.5K | $303.58 |
| 2026-02-17 | Alfano Nicholas J. | Option exercise | 9.5K | $137.09 |
| 2026-02-13 | Bradway Jennifer J | Sell | 613 | $302.01 |
| 2026-02-13 | REICH VICTORIA | Option exercise | 1.0K | $115.08 |
| 2026-02-13 | REICH VICTORIA | Sell | 1.0K | $301.08 |
| 2026-02-13 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Tax withheld | 879 | $301.02 |
| 2026-02-13 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Option exercise | 2.3K | $115.08 |
| 2026-02-13 | Bradway Jennifer J | Option exercise | 950 | $137.09 |
| 2025-12-31 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 137 | $263.68 |
| 2025-12-31 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 128 | $263.68 |
| 2025-12-31 | Whalen Julie | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | REICH VICTORIA | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | NOWELL LIONEL L III | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | LARSON MICHAEL | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | Doukeris Michel D | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | Gross Marion K. | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | Althoff Judson | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | McKibben Tracy B | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | MacLennan David | Grant | 128 | — |
| 2025-12-31 | MacLennan David | Grant | 44 | $263.68 |
| 2025-12-08 | MacLennan David | Buy | 750 | $257.60 |
| 2025-12-04 | Saluja Harpreet | Option exercise | 1.3K | — |
| 2025-12-04 | Saluja Harpreet | Tax withheld | 407 | $263.38 |
| 2025-11-24 | De Boo Alexander A. | Option exercise | 2.2K | $119.12 |
| 2025-11-24 | De Boo Alexander A. | Sell | 1.4K | $268.25 |
| 2025-11-12 | Beck Christophe | Sell | 4.5K | $262.35 |
| 2025-11-12 | MacLennan David | Option exercise | 3.3K | $115.08 |
| 2025-11-12 | MacLennan David | Tax withheld | 1.5K | $262.02 |
| 2025-11-12 | Beck Christophe | Option exercise | 23K | $119.12 |
| 2025-11-12 | Beck Christophe | Sell | 17K | $261.17 |
| 2025-09-30 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | Doukeris Michel D | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | Gross Marion K. | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | Althoff Judson | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | McKibben Tracy B | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | MacLennan David | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | MacLennan David | Grant | 42 | $273.87 |
| 2025-09-30 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 132 | $273.87 |
| 2025-09-30 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 123 | $273.87 |
| 2025-09-30 | Whalen Julie | Grant | 75 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | REICH VICTORIA | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | NOWELL LIONEL L III | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-09-30 | LARSON MICHAEL | Grant | 123 | — |
| 2025-08-19 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Sell | 1.4K | $283.16 |
| 2025-08-14 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Option exercise | 2.3K | $115.08 |
| 2025-08-14 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Tax withheld | 946 | $279.65 |
| 2025-08-13 | Bradway Jennifer J | Option exercise | 993 | $117.73 |
| 2025-08-13 | Bradway Jennifer J | Sell | 807 | $279.28 |
| 2025-08-13 | MacLennan David | Buy | 600 | $278.51 |
| 2025-06-30 | McKibben Tracy B | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | MacLennan David | Grant | 43 | $267.48 |
| 2025-06-30 | Gross Marion K. | Grant | 76 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 136 | $267.48 |
| 2025-06-30 | Doukeris Michel D | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 126 | $267.48 |
| 2025-06-30 | Althoff Judson | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | MacLennan David | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | LARSON MICHAEL | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | REICH VICTORIA | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-30 | NOWELL LIONEL L III | Grant | 126 | — |
| 2025-06-12 | REICH VICTORIA | Option exercise | 1.3K | $115.08 |
| 2025-06-12 | REICH VICTORIA | Sell | 1.3K | $271.00 |
| 2025-05-19 | Cook Gregory B | Gift | 65 | — |
| 2025-05-15 | Cook Gregory B | Sell | 2.2K | $253.00 |
| 2025-05-15 | Cook Gregory B | Option exercise | 2.2K | $117.73 |
| 2025-05-07 | MacLennan David | Buy | 500 | $251.75 |
| 2025-05-07 | Alfano Nicholas J. | Option exercise | 9.9K | $117.73 |
| 2025-05-07 | Alfano Nicholas J. | Sell | 9.9K | $253.75 |
| 2025-05-02 | Kirkland Scott D | Gift | 200 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | REICH VICTORIA | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | NOWELL LIONEL L III | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | McKibben Tracy B | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | MacLennan David | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | MacLennan David | Grant | 46 | $251.56 |
| 2025-03-31 | LARSON MICHAEL | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | HIGGINS ARTHUR J | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | HIGGINS ARTHUR J | Grant | 124 | $251.56 |
| 2025-03-31 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 144 | $251.56 |
| 2025-03-31 | Doukeris Michel D | Grant | 60 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-31 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 134 | $251.56 |
| 2025-03-31 | Althoff Judson | Grant | 134 | — |
| 2025-03-14 | Boone Jandeen M | Option exercise | 161 | $119.12 |
| 2025-03-06 | Kirkland Scott D | Option exercise | 2.9K | $119.12 |
| 2025-03-06 | Kirkland Scott D | Tax withheld | 2.0K | $267.21 |
| 2025-03-04 | LARSON MICHAEL | Option exercise | 2.2K | $112.75 |
| 2025-03-04 | LARSON MICHAEL | Tax withheld | 921 | $269.17 |
| 2025-02-26 | Berger Larry L | Sell | 11K | $266.95 |
| 2025-02-26 | Berger Larry L | Option exercise | 11K | $158.51 |
| 2025-02-26 | Berger Larry L | Option exercise | 9.8K | $184.39 |
| 2025-02-26 | Berger Larry L | Tax withheld | 8.2K | $266.38 |
| 2025-02-25 | Bradway Jennifer J | Option exercise | 1.1K | $119.12 |
| 2025-02-25 | Bradway Jennifer J | Sell | 856 | $267.37 |
| 2025-02-19 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Option exercise | 2.2K | $112.75 |
| 2025-02-19 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Tax withheld | 935 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Marsh Laurie M | Grant | 2.0K | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Marsh Laurie M | Tax withheld | 625 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Kirkland Scott D | Grant | 3.9K | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Kirkland Scott D | Tax withheld | 1.2K | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Hlila Alexandra M A | Grant | 166 | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Hlila Alexandra M A | Tax withheld | 81 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Duijser Machiel | Grant | 2.7K | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Duijser Machiel | Tax withheld | 824 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | De Boo Alexander A. | Grant | 1.2K | — |
| 2025-02-19 | De Boo Alexander A. | Tax withheld | 64 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Cook Gregory B | Grant | 1.5K | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Cook Gregory B | Tax withheld | 490 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Brown Darrell R | Grant | 3.1K | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Brown Darrell R | Tax withheld | 913 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Bradway Jennifer J | Grant | 608 | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Bradway Jennifer J | Tax withheld | 205 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Boone Jandeen M | Grant | 122 | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Boone Jandeen M | Tax withheld | 44 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Berger Larry L | Grant | 2.2K | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Berger Larry L | Tax withheld | 692 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Beck Christophe | Grant | 13K | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Beck Christophe | Tax withheld | 5.5K | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-19 | Alfano Nicholas J. | Grant | 1.3K | — |
| 2025-02-19 | Alfano Nicholas J. | Tax withheld | 400 | $265.19 |
| 2025-02-14 | McKibben Tracy B | Option exercise | 2.6K | $112.75 |
| 2025-02-14 | McKibben Tracy B | Sell | 1.7K | $264.69 |
| 2025-02-13 | MacLennan David | Buy | 400 | $264.51 |
| 2025-02-13 | HIGGINS ARTHUR J | Option exercise | 1.8K | $144.01 |
| 2025-02-13 | HIGGINS ARTHUR J | Sell | 1.8K | $263.05 |
| 2025-02-13 | Duijser Machiel | Sell | 5.7K | $264.04 |
| 2024-12-31 | ZILLMER JOHN J | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | Vautrinot Suzanne M | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | REICH VICTORIA | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | NOWELL LIONEL L III | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | McKibben Tracy B | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | MacLennan David | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | MacLennan David | Grant | 49 | $234.64 |
| 2024-12-31 | LARSON MICHAEL | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | HIGGINS ARTHUR J | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | HIGGINS ARTHUR J | Grant | 133 | $234.64 |
| 2024-12-31 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | Green Eric Mark | Grant | 154 | $234.64 |
| 2024-12-31 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | Althoff Judson | Grant | 144 | — |
| 2024-12-31 | Ballard Shari L | Grant | 144 | $234.64 |
All non-derivative Form 4 activity (SEC), newest first.
Supply chain
Customers (1)
- ChampionX
Suppliers (0)
Named in the 10-K; linked when we track them.
Notable events (8-K)
| Date | Items | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | OtherExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-05-11 | Exec/director changeShareholder vote | filing ↗ |
| 2026-04-28 | ResultsExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-04-15 | Material agreementDebt obligationExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-03-27 | ResultsExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-03-20 | ResultsExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-02-25 | Exec/director changeExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-02-23 | Exec/director change | filing ↗ |
Recent filings
| Form | Filed | Period | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-K | 2026-05-29 | 2026-05-29 | 0001104659-26-068276 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-05-11 | 2026-05-07 | 0001104659-26-058710 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2026-05-07 | 2026-03-31 | 0001104659-26-056737 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-04-28 | 2026-04-28 | 0001104659-26-049822 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-04-15 | 2026-04-10 | 0001104659-26-043821 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-03-27 | 2026-03-27 | 0001104659-26-035705 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-03-20 | 2026-03-20 | 0001104659-26-032446 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-02-25 | 2026-02-20 | 0001104659-26-019742 ↗ |
| 10-K | 2026-02-23 | 2025-12-31 | 0001104659-26-018357 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-02-23 | 2026-02-18 | 0001104659-26-018605 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-02-10 | 2026-02-10 | 0001104659-26-012358 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2025-10-30 | 2025-09-30 | 0001104659-25-104386 ↗ |