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Ecolab Inc.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
Signals scattered
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3 of 5 met · composite in line with peers
Business quality, valuation against the sector, and position in the 52-week range — whether they line up or not.
Mixed signals
Profitability
3/4
Debt & liquidity
1/3
Efficiency
1/2
Capital returns at Ecolab Inc. run well ahead of the sector: ROE of 22.4% sits +69% above the sector median of 13.3%, and ROIC of 13.6% exceeds the sector median of 10.2% by +34%. The price paid for that quality is steep — P/B of 8.2× against a sector median of 3.8×, a gap of +117% — and the F-Score of 5/9 reflects mixed signals beneath the surface, with the balance-sheet sub-score weak and the current ratio -53% below the sector median of 2.29. The composite sits at 44/100 against the sector. On the forward axis, consensus models earnings growth that the realized three-year EPS CAGR from SEC filings has historically supported, yet the beat rate over the last eight quarters has been weak and the forward PEG reads as stretched — so the market's optimism carries more weight than the recent quarterly track record alone can justify.
| Ticker | Name | F-Score | ROE | Revenue YoY | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APD | Air Products | 5/9 | -2% |
When ECL reports on October 26, 2026, track revenue year over year and whether ROE holds above the sector median of 13.3%. The F-Score profitability sub-score of 3/4 leaves one signal unlit — check which metric (asset turnover or net income change) shifts.
ECL's leverage and liquidity sub-score of 1/3 flags concern. On SEC EDGAR, open the most recent 10-K and read the liquidity section: the current ratio sits 53% below the sector median of 2.29, so look for management's stated rationale and any refinancing disclosures.
In section 06, pick two or three Materials companies and line up one metric — P/B or ROIC — against ECL's figures (P/B at 2.2× the sector median of 3.78×; ROIC at 34% above 10.2%). No company in the table is ranked; the exercise is to place ECL's valuation and returns in sector context yourself.
Steps you can check yourself, based on the figures in this brief.
Piotroski F-Score: nine binary tests of financial strength from the annual report. A ✓ marks a test passed, a dot (·) a test failed.
Over 4 years: -24%+52%+11%+5%
Over 4 years: 3.702.892.022.16
Over 4 years: +11%+8%+3%+2%
The context on the right shows how each figure compares with the sector median. The trend below tracks the change over recent fiscal years.
Beat consensus in 4 of 8 recent quarters — a mixed record.
Last quarter's EPS against consensus, plus the estimated date of the next report.
| -1% |
| -7% |
| CTVA | Corteva | 7/9 | 5% | +3% | — |
| DD | DuPont | 5/9 | -4% | +2% | — |
| DOW | Dow Inc. | 3/9 | -15% | -7% | — |
| ECL | Ecolab Inc. | 5/9 | 22% | +2% | 17% |
| FCX | Freeport-McMoRan | 5/9 | 23% | +2% | 25% |
| LIN | Linde | 4/9 | 18% | +3% | 26% |
| MLM | Martin Marietta | 8/9 | 12% | +9% | 23% |
| NEM | Newmont | 8/9 | 22% | +21% | — |
| NUE | Nucor | 6/9 | 8% | +6% | — |
| PKG | Packaging Corp | 3/9 | 17% | +7% | 12% |
| PPG | PPG Industries | 6/9 | 21% | +0% | — |
| SHW | Sherwin-Williams | 6/9 | 59% | +2% | — |
| STLD | Steel Dynamics | 5/9 | 13% | +4% | 8% |
| VMC | Vulcan Materials | 9/9 | 13% | +7% | 20% |
A sample of 15 companies in the sector including the target, alphabetical, unranked. Data from the latest SEC annual reports.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.